Lucky
by CosmicCorruption
Summary: Tenten was unlucky for many reasons. Smitten with her best friend, being seen as merely an average kunoichi, never having a clear path to follow. She never thought herself lucky enough to get the most amazing offer of a lifetime. CHAPTER SEVEN IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my first story here on FF, and I hope you enjoy! But, if not, then by all means, tell me why! I'm here for feedback and constructive criticism :) This chapter is a preview of what is to come, just some background information so you know where things stand. The next chapter WOULD have been up sooner, but after two hours of typing, MicrosoftWord decided my story was crap, and crashed. It even deleted all the auto saves! Grrrrr…**

**This will undoubtedly be the shortest of all my chapters, so don't worry about the length!**

**Disclaimer: I was not clever enough to have conceived the Ninja World that is Naruto. True story.**

Tenten never considered herself a lucky person. Orphaned at a young age, average grades at the academy, skill level of a kick ass, but relatively unnoticed ninja. She could perform the necessary ninjutstus, and performed exceptionally in close-range taijutsu. Especially with a kunai in her grip. It was no secret that she shared a special bond with sharpened steel. A shinobi was first and foremost a weapon, so in Tenten's eyes it made complete sense to equip a weapon with multiple lesser, or even greater, weapons. That's how a powerful machine works, just a complex system of tiny machines working together.

Everyone around her, it seemed, got lucky. Neji and Hinata were bred to be elite ninjas with their prestigious bloodline limit, Naruto and Sakura received exclusive training from two of the three legendary sannin, and Ino, Kiba, Shino, Chogi and Shikamaru all came from clans that possessed bloodline traits and secrets. They knew what they had to do to be extraordinary shinobi, and had decades of experience handed to them, being taught by the people they would soon surpass. Even Lee, for Kami's sake! With only his will and fists, he was destined to be Gai Sensei's youthful prodigy.

But who did Tenten look up to? For a long while, it was Tsunade. The woman was legendary, after all. Tenten believed Tsunade was a testament to the shinobi world that kunoichi can rise up and above in a testosterone fueled lifestyle. She later realized, when she heard of Sakura's training, that it was a rather foolish choice for her role model. Just what could Tsunade ever teach her? Medical ninjutsu was her strong suit, and Tenten knew she did not have the necessary chakra control for it. Come to think of it, had she ever seen Tsunade-sama wield a weapon? No, very foolish indeed.

As far as she knew, there was no one around to teach her. Being Konoha's only weapon's mistress meant everything she knew had come from her own observations, her own skill, and her own drive to be better. Never did she think of it as a thorn in her side. If anything, it made her more determined to prove to people how strong one can be on their own, because it sure as hell wasn't easy.

Sure, she loved Gai Sensei for – nearly – everything he's done. "Stronger than I was yesterday" was a pretty effective mantra for her. He had taught her many things she was sure no other sensei could teach, but Lee was his focus. Neji was a key component to her success, though. His hand-to-hand combat skill and defensive maneuvers proved to compliment her own fighting style. Often she would use him for experiments, and he wouldn't mind. It was always new, and a little exciting. Neji would give her critiques, and might even grace her with a compliment. Neji was more of a teacher than her own sensei, but he was just a loyal teammate, and she admired him greatly for that.

That still didn't make her lucky. She considered the lucky ones to have parents and teachers to guide them on their paths to greatness. Tenten didn't have a set path, and had no clue what the end of that path looked like, or what it would mean. She was walking the road far less traveled by. Not that she minded, because she was stronger for it, having played the cards she was dealt, and playing a damn good game at that! But every now and again the uncertainty of her potential would present itself.

Tenten was not graced with the luck of a true teacher. At least not yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is up way faster than anticipated, but I doubt anyone was waiting, hehee! If you have anything to comment on, please feel free to tell me! And a big thanks to those who did review, you guys were my first, and it was a real confidence boost to see them! :3**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, this wouldn't be fiction!**

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><p>It started off like any other Wednesday, with Neji knocking loudly on her bedroom door to wake her up. Most days, he was her alarm clock. To normal people, someone knocking on their bedroom door would be a frightening matter, especially when they lock their house at night. But for years, Neji, even Lee, had come to think of her apartment as a second home. She had given them keys so they wouldn't have to stand outside a good ten minutes yelling to wake her up. Often times, they came just to be in each other's company. They were her teammates, and her closest friends, and no amount of missions or time apart would change that.<p>

She sighed. The man outside her door, was merely a teammate and close friend. Her best friend – strong willed, powerful, and sexy as he was – was only that, a best friend. Long ago had she suppressed her feelings for him, to her it was only a response expected of such proximity to a handsome, available male. Tenten didn't dare explore what she really felt for him; she liked to label it as a long standing childhood crush. And she was damned if she revealed the truth to herself. But like a tree, when you bury a seed, it starts to grow. Never would she dig through and analyze the feelings she now had for him. Upfront, it was a deep friendship and camaraderie that she valued above all else. But truly… no, she couldn't go there. Wouldn't.

Feeling slightly groggy from the late night training, she quite literally rolled out of bed. Picking up one of her training outfits from the floor, she rushed the fabric over her body. Before the ensuing battle with her hair, she inspected her look in the mirror. When it came to her appearance, Tenten was laid back. She was born to battle, not to be pretty. Never once had she worn makeup, or fussed over what she would wear, or felt embarrassed over someone calling her "Panda Princess" once back at the academy. Looking over her tight black tee and loose navy cargo shorts, she came to the conclusion that the look suited her, showing off her curves yet displaying the right amount of toughness. She was a girl after all; she needed to maintain some level of femininity.

Walking down the hall to her kitchen, she came to an unexpected sight. Sitting there, also in a tight black shirt, but loose, gray cargo shorts, was the ever controlled Hyuga Neji. What was unexpected, though, was his uncontrolled posture. Leaning back, head and arms lay to rest upon the back of the couch; legs spread open and lazily placed. Not very Neji, though he looked comfortable. And appetizing.

"Make yourself at home," she quirked.

His eyes were closed, but he smiled slightly. "I am at home." A while back he had told her that the company of friends was more of a home than the compound, no matter how strong his relations to the rest of the Hyuga clan had grown. "Here," he said, standing up and placing her gloves in her hands, "you left these at the eatery last night."

"Oh, thanks! I didn't even know I had forgotten them…"

"I noticed only because it's the first time I've seen you take them off to eat." She shook her head, he was always so observant.

"It's because I cut the leather awkwardly on the side, here," she said, showing him the loose flap of leather, "and it was rubbing my skin raw. I'll need to buy a new pair soon."

"We could go to the shinobi outfitters after training. These shoes haven't been fitting correctly," he stated, shifting his weight foot to foot. "I'll need a new pair." Tenten smiled and nodded in approval. It was then that Neji then noticed her hair was down, and decided he liked it much better loose and fresh out of bed.

"So, what's for breakfast?" he asked.

She made them a healthy helping of eggs and toast while talking over some kind of strategy or another, and when finished, they headed off to the old training ground of Team Gai. Wednesday was Neji and Tenten's exclusive training day. All day, 100%, anything goes. Tenten looked forward to her available Wednesdays for many reasons. The first and most obvious was that she got to spend time with Neji. Second reason being was that it was a great way to experiment her techniques. Third, it helped to alleviate any stress that had been accumulating in his absence.

Sure, if she wanted to relieve stress through combat, she could pick any ninja in Konoha. But Neji could read her. When they were in hand-to-hand combat, Tenten felt she could make him understand through the movements of her body. Emotions and feelings did not come easy to her, and neither with Neji. Trying to land a hit on your sparring partner, knowing he'll understand, was a lot more comforting than saying, "I made an embarrassing rookie error on my last mission and I'm really upset that it happened." Then he'd block your attack with another, as if saying, "I know, it can happen to the best of us. Just look past it. You're better than that and you know it."

Reaching the training field, they left their bags next to a post that had been brutalized by Tenten many times in the past. It was a bright, warm day, the kind of brightness she only associated with Konoha. The grass was a brilliant green, and you could feel that summer was right around the corner. An unexpected gust of wind tore between them, shaking the treetops violently.

"It's going to rain later," Neji stated so matter-of-factly, when the only fact was that there was not a cloud in the sky.

"Yes," she replied, putting her hair into her trademark buns and rolling her eyes, "and I'm as blonde as Ino." Byakugan could be so overrated sometimes, he couldn't see the future or weather patterns, she said to herself.

She back flipped several meters away from Neji, and watched as he crouched into his fighting stance. Over the years they had developed playful pre-spar banter to pump things up, and she quipped first.

"We're wearing practically the same thing, you know. It must be hard, standing next to me, knowing I look better. Being second-rate must be sad. " It was ridiculously lame. She didn't mean a word of it, and she felt quite the opposite. It was just something for him to feed off of, and she already knew the response she would get from him. Unknowingly to her, Neji agreed whole heartedly as he gave her a once over.

Another smile had tugged at his lips and he narrowed his eyes in acceptance of her challenge, "At least I'm not second-rate at skill."

Fingers lightly traced her leg pocket containing one of her newest scrolls. He was sure to have fun with this, she thought. "Oh, really? I'm a hard evidence kind of girl, Neji. How about you show me?" This time, there was no cheek, as she was fully confident in her latest technique. Excitement raced through her veins every time it came to the moment of truth of her success, or failure.

Neji crouched even lower as a signal for her to make the first move. But before she could even touch her scroll, a flash of green zipped between them.

"STOOOOP!"

Sighing her infamous, frustrated sigh, she walked slowly up to Lee before delivering him a bump on the head. "Ahh! Damn it, Lee! What is your problem, eh? We were in the middle of something, here! I finally get time to test this out, and you come barging in!" Her thoughts mulled on how he always had the most impeccable timing.

The moment she mentioned having something to test, Neji became even more irritable. Tenten's experiments were always the most fun for him. Watching her develop her skills was fascinating, and Neji thought there was a limit to what you could do with weapons, though she would time and time again prove him wrong. He held the highest respect for his teammate. Well, his best friend, to be honest. Shaking his head in agitation, he walked over to where the two were grouped.

Poor Lee lay twitching on the ground from her blow, "Tsunade-sama…requested us…youthful mission…"

She felt a tiny pang of guilt for hitting him with apparent unnecessary force. "Well don't come running up to people and yelling like that! Try being mellow for once, it might suit you!" Even though she teased him, he was her friend. Tenten even liked that Lee was so crazy. Teasing him was natural, and he was either too carefree to notice or knew that she never whole-heartedly meant anything mean. Laughable, optimistic, never giving up; how can you not love a friend like that? She looked at Neji, arms crossed, staring at Lee with a look he saved only for Lee. Oh yeah, she thought, that's how.

With an apology and a smile, she helped Lee up, gathered her things and they left the training ground.

They made their way to the Hokage's office without trouble. Tenten was actually looking forward to a mission, her last one had been two weeks ago. It proved difficult, but she was able to get away with only a few cuts and bruises and a strong feeling of satisfaction. She had been wondering when and what her next duty was.

Even more so, she was happy Neji and Lee would be accompanying her, almost nine years of team work had made them a force to be reckoned with. Their team, when assigned on missions together, functioned on a higher level than other teams. Not only did they know each other's attacks and maneuvers like their own, but they were able to work together without uttering a single word. Each had their strengths and weaknesses, and when one was down, the other popped up to take their place or provide aid, and so on. Some of their synchronized moves were combinations of their individual attacks, morphed together to create something more powerful. Of course, Lee could get a little extreme and Neji can get caught up in trying to play the lone ninja hero act, but they fit like puzzle pieces on the battlefield.

Shortly before they reached the Hokage's office, they rounded a corner and saw Naruto with Hinata on his back, yelling quite viciously at Kiba. It appeared that during training, Kiba had made a mistake, causing Hinata to react on instinct, and resulted in her twisting her ankle. Hinata's soft attempt at trying to make Naruto understand it was an accident was utterly futile. The shouting went back and forth, Kiba's anger rising just as high as his opponent's. Akamaru growled at Naruto in defense of his master. Tenten and Neji quickly realized it was not something they wanted to get into, and discouraged Lee from interfering.

As they approached the trio, she was startled to hear Naruto's voice stop mid-scream. Hinata had laid her hands on his mouth to shut him up, and whispered something in his ear to make him blush up a storm. "Hinata-nii-san, are you alright?" Neji asked, though he was currently more concerned about the abashed look on Naruto's face and what had caused it.

"Hai!" She squeaked back, hands still over Naruto's mouth. "Naruto-kun was just about to take me to the hospital to get this taken care of as quickly as possible. Isn't that right?" Hinata looked at him with her sweet look that could be translated as, "If you disagree, your testes are going in a blender." Naruto merely nodded, eyes narrowed and face still blushing. Kiba was still fuming, but had a distinct look of satisfaction in his eyes.

Tenten had to hold a hand up to her face as casually as she could to withhold her smile and the laughter that was threatening to come out. They made such an adorable couple, she thought, and they complemented each other so well.

Naruto made his way in the direction of the hospital after Neji approved of the arrangement. He was still so uncomfortable about their relationship, as Hinata was now more like a younger sister to him than a cousin.

"So, where are you guys off to," Kiba asked, looking with hungry eyes at Tenten. "I'm sure you could use a little canine company," he said with a wink and a nudge in her side. Ever since her last mission with him, Choji and Sakura, Tenten noticed how he had developed a slight attraction to her. She was flattered, definitely, but she didn't know how to handle his advances. Kiba was a good friend, and there was no harm in trying to get to know him better, to see if anything could come from the attraction. Neji was obviously a dead end, and she would be lying if she said she had no attraction towards Kiba. Trying to keep the conversation inside the friend zone, she responded with, "No, not this time, I'm afraid. Team Gai will have it covered!" She looked at Lee who nodded rather enthusiastically and Neji, who simply glared at Kiba and lowered his head in acknowledgement.

"If we need you, we'll ask," he spit out. Neji had noticed Kiba warming up to Tenten, touching her shoulder and looking at her with his wild eyes. He didn't like his intentions towards her, not one single bit. Sure, Tenten was a grown woman and could more than easily defend herself against him, but it didn't stop the animosity that grew inside of him directed towards Kiba.

Akamaru whimpered at the harshness of Neji's voice. Kiba wasn't an idiot, as it was painfully obvious through his actions that Neji had feelings for her. But unlike Neji, Kiba was willing to do something about his attraction. Moving his hand down from her shoulder to her hand, he brought it up to his face and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "For good luck," he whispered, winking at her again, and walking away.

Tenten stood there, cheeks red as apples and eyes wide as ramen bowls. He just… he had just kissed her… Well, on her hand, but still! Too engrossed in her own thoughts, she didn't hear Lee's triumphant rant at the blossoming of his beautiful lotus that was Tenten. What did bring her out of her head, though, was the sound of Neji punching Lee in the face and sulking off ahead of them. She remembered her journey, and pushed all thoughts of kisses and Kiba out of her mind as she helped up Lee for the second time that day and followed Neji to Tsunade's office.

Neji was the one to knock on the door and hold it open for his teammates to walk through. Tsunade was talking diligently to Shizune, giving her last minute instructions before moving her attention to the three before her. "Good morning," she greeted, rather happily.

A little apprehensive at such a polite Tsunade, they were slightly delayed on their returned greetings.

"As I'm sure you're able to see, I'm in an exceptionally good mood today…so don't ruin it." She turned cold and stared directly at Lee for emphasis. Poor Lee… "I'll get right to it then. You three have been selected to be body guards for a man who intends to move from a village in the lower region called Osaku to the upper region mountains of the Makugi village. This is a B-Rank mission, with slight possibility of it turning into A-Rank material. "

Neji was the first to speak, though it was the question on everyone's mind. What did this man need that kind of protection for? "A-Rank? Just who exactly is this that we're escorting?"

"A while back, he had some issues within his country, the Land of Wind. A group of their rogue-nins recruited him for his skills and used them for their own purposes, which often involved thieving and political corruption in small villages. Soon enough, the gang was gaining an economic monopoly in the lower regions, making shipments and trading hard to process. It was a problem that grew larger than anyone's expectations. They eventually made their way to our border and we were forced put an end to it. The man was taken into our custody, where we learned he had been taken hostage and put under multiple genjutsus to do the gang's bidding. He firmly believes his country didn't do everything they could to save him and put an end to the destruction the gang caused. The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire made an agreement that we keep the man, who they see as a traitor to his own country, out of their hands, in exchange for economic securities. We keep him on a leash, we get more exchanges. We haven't had issues in six years, but it doesn't mean we won't use precaution. He could still pose a major threat if captured."

"Who exactly is this man, and what does he know that's so important?" Asked Lee, it was his turn to ask the question on everyone's mind.

"That question," she said, looking now only at Tenten, "is more important to you than to anyone else."

Tenten got an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She had never been spoken to from the Hokage like that before. What did this man have to do with her? The attention could be really good or really bad, and at this point she had no clue. She forced herself to calm down. Swallowing hard, she conjured up words from her mouth, "Me? Why me?"

"Tenten, I love when I can watch a ninja grow," she started, her tangent confusing her subordinates. The older woman kept her eyes pierced on Tenten. "Seeing one surpass their limitations is something every leader never tires of witnessing." Her eyes narrowed and her voice hardened. "However, I am both unimpressed and unsatisfied by your growth, Tenten."

Oh yeah, it was bad. Breathing ceased. Her superior of superiors, her former role model, her Hokage…was telling her she wasn't impressed. Unsatisfied. Tenten felt too many things at once.

The first was failure, dismal and bleak, utter disappointment in herself, a black pit expanding in her very essence. Then it was the churn in her stomach she usually got whenever she was going to be sick. Bile bubbled inside of her and she could feel her legs grow weak.

Immediately following were her teammates' gawking reactions. She could hear Lee try to utter arguments of her success, but he was too stunned to complete any of them. Neji had a more silent and deadly reaction to the news and stood his ground, rigid and furious.

And after that, came the thought that her life had been a total waste; waste of time, energy, and sacrifice. The thought of which made her anger the strongest she'd ever felt in her life. The pit in her soul turned to hot, white fire. What did this have to do with the damn mission? Why just bring it up like casual conversation? "By the way, you're my least favorite kunoichi!" And HOW DARE SHE? The irrelevance, the deliverance, the ignorance! Does she know how far she's come? What she's done to get there? How she's –

"Tsunade-sama!"

She ignored Neji's address. His shoulders were tense, and his jaw was set. Surely he had misheard her. Gaze still fixated on the young girl, she asked, "Tenten, have you ever heard of The Man of a Thousand Swords?"

All Tenten could do was try and even her breathing, and keep from vomiting on the spot. She could feel the dizziness from the nausea cloud her mind. Had Tsunade asked something about swords? Shit, now she had to respond. But no words were going to leave her lips unless accompanied by her breakfast.

The older lady closed her eyes and sighed impatiently, folding her fingers in front of her face. "This man you are guarding was the Land of Wind's greatest blacksmith. Not only did he make some of the finest weaponry, he's created dozens of earth-type and other various jutsus – made specifically for weapons. Few know his real name, and even fewer know his location. Legend has it that when confronted by one hundred men, he transformed his only sword into a thousand swords, and killed all but two men, who lived to tell the tale. He says the northern mountains in Makugi are rich with a certain metal he wishes to utilize." The woman shifted in her seat. "But he can't do all the work himself. The old man's going on fifty, and he's not strong as he once was." She paused to smile at Tenten. "What I'm getting at is this: He's gotten word of you Tenten, and he's chosen you to be his apprentice."

You could have knocked her down with a feather. One minute she thought she was Konoha's worst ninja, and now Tsunade was saying a highly experienced, legendary weapons specialist, deemed her worthy of learning all the knowledge he had acquired. Her body didn't have proper reaction time, she concluded. Elation and overwhelming joy should be pumping through her, yet the effects of her nausea and dizziness hadn't expelled from her completely.

Now she really was knocked down, Lee was giving her his tightest hug, which was really saying something, and gushing on about blossoming flowers and youthful awakenings. "Lee…please…" Tenten already had lack of sufficient air to her brain, Lee's hug was not improving. Lungs were not getting air and muscles were being squeezed together unnaturally. She began to feel faint…

"Tenten?" Neji… He sounded so far away, but she could feel him holding her up from the floor. That didn't make any sense…

"LEE, I SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU NOT TO RUIN MY MOOD, AND YOU GO AND SUFFOCATE ONE OF MY BEST HOPEFULS!"

Her head cleared some at Tsunade's boisterous anger, and Tenten could hear Lee groveling at her feet for her forgiveness.

It was natural that the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Neji. How many times had she woken up to his perplexed and sometimes worried expression? Too many to count. "I'm fine, I can breathe now," trying to sound as convincing as possible. Nearness to Neji would only worsen her breathing. The sooner she got home and slept the better, her head was everywhere.

"Tenten, you're okay?" Tsunade looked down from her standing position and awaited a response. The sannin looked even more threatening from that angle.

"Just a little over whelmed, is all…" Focusing on Neji's breathing, watching his chest rise and fall, she tried to get her own breathing stable. Too many hits in too little time. She was a ninja, for Kami's sake, too many hits in too little time were the number one occupational hazard, and here she was fainting!

"Well I have business to attend to, so I'll leave you with these scrolls. One contains information on the mission itself, and the other is for Tenten, personally, from the man in question. I'll see you in one week's time for your mission and to discuss your decision. Tenten, you must understand that this will put you in the direct line of fire." Her voice took on a more serious tone than before. "You will be learning things people would, and have, killed for. This information is to be kept within these walls. If anyone finds out that this man has taken on an apprentice, then our ties with the Land of Wind will break and your life will be threatened. His knowledge, they consider, is still theirs. For us to have it fully in our grasp would be theft. That being said, you are one of my own, Tenten. To keep you from this opportunity would be foolish and selfish. Your potential is great, and you can be great. Just know that if you make the decision to follow through, you will need to follow extreme caution." She paused briefly to allow Tenten time to register everything she said. "One week," she concluded. With that, she walked out the door leaving Lee in his groveling position. He then moved over to Tenten.

"Forgive me, dearest Tenten! I did not mean to wilt your petals, for you are a blossoming lotus and should be nurtured with my youthfulness, not harmed!"

"Lee, it's obvious that you've just nearly suffocated her with your '_youth_'." He sneered at the word. Neji considered Lee his good friend, but not when he did idiotic things like this. "You are like a three year old with a kitten, " he glared, finding the analogy appropriate for Lee's character, "you need to learn to restrain yourself. Things can and will break, do you not learn?"

"Did you just compare me to a breakable kitten?"

"In order to receive your forgiveness, I must make myself worthy! I will run thirty laps around Konoha in one day! NO, MAKE THAT FOURTY LAPS, IN HALF A DAY! THEN I WILL PROCEED TO DO – "

" –LEE! SHUT IT!" They screamed together. You never got used to Lee, but you learned how to handle him.

He calmed down almost immediately and nodded in understanding. "I believe this is a moment where I must 'Leave them the hell alone!'" Facing away from them suddenly, he straightened his back and marched out of the room as energetic as ever, leaving the two alone in their shock.

They blinked in unison at the door. Lee just marched away, doing exactly what they wanted. "Maybe he does learn," Tenten said with a small smile. Neji stood and held out his hand. Immediately after standing she knew it was a bad decision, she felt her body waver and black seep into her vision. Ninjas don't faint, she thought with vehemence.

She had expected to lose all consciousness like the last time, but she could still feel things. Like the warm rumbling against her ear and cheek. And the smell, that wonderful, wonderful smell. Something was tickling the other side of her face, was it hair? She opened her eyes and, oh Kami, she had fallen against Neji. Quickly, she tried to pull her body from his out of embarrassment. They weren't the type of friends who hugged. No non-combative physical contact existed between them, as much as she wished it weren't true. Especially after having been pressed up against him, smelling him… damn it all! She grunted in frustration as her back hit the wall, leaning against it for support.

Only once before had she fallen into his arms, and that was because she was drowning. What was her excuse this time? Too lame to handle some words?

"You've had quite a lot thrown at you emotionally, and you've been nearly squeezed to death by Lee. Your body is responding how it should." He was trying to explain that what she was feeling was natural. Neji was still so close, grabbing hold of her arms in fear of her collapsing to the floor.

Thunder boomed outside, causing the building to vibrate slightly. A flash of light flickered in the windows, and Tenten looked outside to see the darkened atmosphere and threatening clouds.

"It…it was so sunny earlier!" So was I, she thought. Tenten found it amusingly ironic how the weather had followed her mental state from sunny and cheerful to frightful and agitated.

The man in front of her nodded, "I said it would, didn't I?" He received a look from her that told him she thought he was crazy. And she did. The Byakugan couldn't be that damn remarkable…

As the rain fell with a vengeance on the village, she started to wonder how on earth she was going to get home. There obviously wouldn't be any training – because of her condition, not the rain – and she could barely stand, let alone race through a storm.

Neji seemed to be reading her thoughts as she stared out the window. Tenten was in no condition to walk home. Her breathing was still uneven, he noticed. Most likely, he'd end up carrying her back to her apartment. He was raised to be a gentleman, and no matter how capable the woman, he always escorted them safely to their homes, and Tenten was no exception. She never minded the company, but he was sure she would have a problem with him carrying her, she absolutely hated being weak.

He sighed. Weak… The whole ordeal was even hard for him to swallow. First he was sure Tsunade had just outwardly insulted her for being a disappointment, and then she tells her she has the potential to train with the most suitable and experienced person in her field to become a great ninja. The old woman needed to work on her delivery…

"I'll need to carry you home, Tenten," he said, taking the usual, Neji-like, direct approach.

She blinked up at him. Did he really just ask that? Oh yes, please! Carry me home, into my bed, take off that beautifully tight shirt of yours and – NO! No, no, bad Tenten, no, no, no –

"NO!" She exclaimed, perhaps a little too forcefully. Adjusting her thought process, she found a different angle. Just because she couldn't stand up at the moment didn't mean she had to be whisked away in the arms of a man. She was more capable than that! "I just need some time, Neji, and I'll be fine," she pleaded, trying to inflict some reassurance.

"Yes, you do need time. To sleep. The quicker I get you to bed, the better." Neji didn't know what sort of implications his words had made. Tenten's face and body flared up with heat at the thought of him taking her to bed. Was she feeling lightheaded again? This was all too much. She needed a bed. And sleep. And to think clearly. What she didn't need, was Neji carrying her in his arms. Her pride was almost as big as his. But it would have to be a small price to pay for that plush mattress that awaited her. Growling in frustration and with eyes shut tight, she nodded in agreement.

The moment he scooped her up bridal style in one fluid motion, she felt an odd combination of calmness and excitement. Comfortable, warm and safe did she feel in his arms. But she also felt the rigidity of his body from his highly defined muscles that simply dripped with arousal. And that arousal was soaking into her. Or was it the rain? If this is how she responded to just an embrace, she could only imagine – no, never imagine! Get a grip, she told herself. Focusing on the rain was her top priority, as she allowed the coolness to chill her heated state.

Still not having opened her eyes, she knew they had arrived when they came to a stop and the rain had stopped pummeling down on them. Shifting to get out of his arms, he only held her tighter. She felt his arm wiggle under her knees, and she opened her eyes to the interior of her apartment. Neji placed her gently on the couch before he ventured further into her home. Tenten paid no mind though, her couch was incredibly cushioned, she noticed. And warm. Shivering, she became fully aware of how wet and cold she was. Shirt clinging to her like a second skin and cargo pants heavy and droopy with water.

Neji then came into view with two towels he had taken from her bathroom, handing one to her while rubbing his hair dry with the other. A wet Neji was something to behold. She looked towards the ground as she let her hair down from her buns and dried it.

Sitting a foot away from her on the couch, still attempting to dry his hair, he allowed himself to ask a question he always wanted to know the answer to.

"Why do you wear your hair up in those buns all the time?" He stared at her hair and all its glory. It was thick and stringy with water, and shined a deep brown, nearly black, color. Dry, it was a perfect reflection of her person. Wavy in some areas, straight in others, curling up at some moments and falling at most. It was beautiful and unpredictable, just as she was.

"It never really helps to have hair in your face when fighting," she started, "But I don't know really, it's just something I've always done." Tenten dropped her towel from her hair and looked absentmindedly at her coffee table. "I had buns even in the orphanage. They said it was how they had found me, and they thought it suited me. When I was younger, part of me believed my parents would come back and notice me by my hair, so I refused to change it in hopes they would find me and take me home…"

Neji sat still and silent. Only two other times had she told him about her past. The first instance, she had told him some ninjas had found her in an open field on their way to Konoha back from a mission. She was about two at the time, possibly close to three. It was the day they labeled as her birthday. The ninja looked around for her parents, but there were no villages for miles, and no chakra signatures they could detect. She was carrying a toy kunai with an inscription that read, "To Tenten, you are our heaven on earth" and a large red shirt, looking to belong to a man. Neji found the shirt one day when he tried to find Tenten's medical history once, when she was injured severely in the war. He knew she was an orphan, but he would never press her for information. Inquiring about the shirt, she felt it was only right for him to know about her.

The second time took place a couple of months after she had recovered. He had walked into her apartment to find her staring out her window, looping the toy kunai around in her fingers. "Do you know what your name means, Neji?" She had asked him, still staring out the window. Neji immediately felt out of his comfort zone. He replied with caution that it meant "whirl" or "screw". "My name means heaven," she said, then turning to him. "I was their heaven on earth, Neji. They wouldn't just leave me. Something happened." Her eyes glazed over with unshed tears and she faced the window once more, her back to Neji. "It hurts not knowing. Not remembering. I hate the mystery, more than anything."

He was brought back to the present when Tenten asked him something about tea, to which he nodded in approval. Watching her rise from the couch, the glorious wet mess that she was, he knew she was going to fall before he saw her knees shake. Arms around her before she could process that she had lost balance, she cursed loudly and profusely.

Neji chuckled softly to himself over her temper. It was only the mental stress she had been put through recently, her mind was obviously busy with other things less frugal than walking. "Stress can take hold of your body. You don't need any tea, Tenten, you need rest and a clear head." Once more, she found herself in his arms as he navigated towards her bedroom. Her cheeks flushed. Hyuga Neji was carrying her to her bed…

As he sat her on her bed, he saw her face had reddened. Is she sick, he thought, does she have a fever? Neji placed the back of his hand on her cheek and stared a questioning look at her. "You must get out of those clothes." Dear Kami, she was certain he was trying to kill her. Tenten's eyes grew wild as she scanned her room for appropriate clothing, looking at anything but him. They settled on her short training shorts and a loose lime green tee imprinted with a large, yellow, smiling kitten.

Seeing her line of vision, he grabbed at the items and handed them to her. Further inspecting the shirt, a curious smile played on his lips. Never would he think Tenten would wear something so flamboyantly bright and cutesy. Unpredictable, he thought again.

She grabbed the clothes with an embarrassed smile and waited till he closed the door to change. The moment she finished putting on her new, dry clothes, she fell back on her bed, over the covers. Finding her mattress ten times softer than it normally was, she fell asleep within seconds.

Neji had just finished making tea when he realized Tenten hadn't come out after she changed. Curious, he took her cup of tea and headed for her room. He knocked lightly once. Then twice. Not bothering a third time, he opened the door a crack to see her passed out over her bed.

It was a sight to behold, really. Arms and legs stretched out in all four directions, her hair billowing around her head as if she were floating on water. Looking over her body, he started to appreciate what lie before him. Long, tan limbs, toned muscles, and just the right amount of softness in just the right places. How many times had he envisioned her writhing beneath him in pleasure?

He shook his head and sighed. If he was to marry anyone, it would be her. Neji came to the conclusion long ago that he held strong feelings for Tenten. Feelings he later recognized one normally didn't have for just team mates, or best friends even. Only after the war had he been able to see it. He was crucially injured, and so was she. But he had recovered far quicker than Tenten, and she experienced some mild complications during her recovery. Noticing how he feared for her life above others, he thought about life without Tenten, and discovered it would be a life not worth living.

And it's not like she cares for me as I do for her, he contemplated. Neji prided himself on many things, one of which was being able to read Tenten. She could be an open book sometimes, he'd know what she was thinking or trying to conceal. Tenten's mannerisms were a language all their own. He wasn't anything, if not observant. If she held anything for Neji like he did for her, he'd be able to see something, at least.

Long ago he had sealed away the idea of marriage or children. The Hyuga clan still practiced branding and main-branch family traditions. He would not subject Tenten, or any children that they might have, to such a life. It would be horribly selfish of him. Instead, he made it his goal to keep her happy and healthy. Seeing her find a partner and bear his children would be agonizing, no doubt, but if it made her happy, then it was how it would have to be. Anyone, that is, except Kiba. Neji would have to kill the sleaze ball if he ever put a hand on her.

Neji grabbed a blanket from her closet and draped it over her body cautiously. Placing the cup of tea near her bed, he jumped slightly at a particularly loud crack of thunder. No use in going home right away, he thought, I'll just take a small nap on the couch.

Tenten awoke with a start as booming vibrations and flashes of brightness filled her room. She took in her surroundings. Blanket, check. Tea, check. Neji, pending. Getting out of bed was difficult for her, as the temperature had dropped a good ten degrees, and her bed had grown so warm. Her tea was cold, which bore the question, how long had she been asleep? Looking out her window, she also wanted to know how long this spontaneous spring storm would last.

A new cup of her favorite, special made tea was now her mission. White tea with lemon juice and honey was just what she needed. Before she made it completely into the kitchen, something moved from the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see… a foot? Upon further inspection, it was only a shirtless Neji passed out on her couch._ Only_ a shirtless…Neji…passed out…on her couch. She allowed herself only two seconds to bask in his glory before forcing her body into the kitchen.

The very first things that she noticed were the scrolls. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, and she could feel the blood in the veins of her neck and arms pulsate. One of those scrolls could change her life, and make her an extraordinary ninja. That was absolutely insane.

She put a pot of tea on the stove before grabbing the scrolls and sitting at her small, kitchen table. The larger of the two had the words 'Mission Guide' written on the seal, the other had her name written on the side in brilliant calligraphy. Her hands trembled as she opened it carefully and gently, as if the man himself was in there waiting for her.

"_Tenten,_

_Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Shinichiro Ishihara, but I would prefer it if you addressed me as Ishi. I trust Lady Tsunade has informed you of the generalizations regarding your mission and why I specifically requested you for it. I regret that this letter must be so formal, but I feel that our rendezvous shall remedy that. _

_As I get older, I find things that were once so simple to perform, have become grueling and exhausting. Where my research and weapon-making is concerned, I am nowhere near finished. I require young hands and an eager heart. When I heard talk of Konoha's Weapons Mistress, I wrote to Tsunade at once, asking for information on you. I was pleased to hear of your abilities, and we both agreed that you have immense potential._

_I will keep this letter short. I can teach you many things, Tenten; things you didn't even know were possible. During our mission, you will be required to partake in a test. But this test will not measure your skill or abilities, it will reveal something that is already inside of yourself. If you pass this test, I can, with confidence, tell you that I can teach you everything I know._

_This is all, of course, depending on your decision. Should you allow me the honor of becoming your sensei, please – "_

A loud whistling interrupted her thoughts, and it took a moment for her mind to register that it was the tea. Before she could move, beautiful, shirtless Neji came to the rescue and removed the pot from the flame. He was groggy with sleep, and his hair had been untied and dried, falling haphazardly onto his shoulders. It seemed that everything he did was extremely sexy. This what not fair, not at all.

He leaned against the counter and rubbed a hand against his face, and looked at her, then the kettle, then back at her. She got another shiver and blushed. "Sorry," she said weakly, turning her attention to the scroll, "I… I was kind of lost…" she added, her voice drifting away.

Recognizing what she was reading, he walked over to her. Another shiver ran through her, but it was more from actually being cold, rather than Neji's topless presence. Her shiver wasn't unnoticed by Neji, however, as he stood behind her and placed his large hands on her arms, working them up and down to build heat from friction.

This action should have made her jump or yelp, but she found herself reveling in the warmth he was giving. Leaning back into her chair, she could feel his chest breathing behind her, and some of his hair fell into her face as he leaned over her shoulder to read the letter. Tenten could feel herself melting into him. And there it was, that smell. It was light and airy, refreshing, almost. It was a smell that she could only describe as Neji. She felt almost cocooned by his being. If Tenten had the option of staying in that chair for the rest of her life, she would take it, no questions asked.

She was brought back to reality when Neji grabbed the scroll from her hands, and reread the words he didn't want to see. He was expecting this, but expecting something and seeing it are two different things.

"Three years?" he asked to no one in particular. His voice was hollow and alarming in her ears.

"Hm?" she asked, turning around in her chair to face him, "What's three years, Neji?" Tenten didn't get to finish the letter, he had distracted her! What did it say? She had stopped reading the moment before Ishi had asked her something…

"'…please be well prepared and equipped to spend a minimum of three years in my company.'"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there's chapter two! Tell me what you think! I don't know why it isn't reading my indentations, but it's bothering me, and I'll take care of it with the next chapter. It's a lot to take in, I know and I'm sorry, but I feel like being the first official chapter, it had to be this way. If you have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer them!<strong>

**This story is intended to be a multi-chapter, drawn out story. But not too drawn out, I won't have you sitting here forever trying to see how it ends! **

**~SUMMARY FOR CHAPTER THREE~  
>Tenten has one week to prepare for three years. Of what? She has no idea. Saying good bye isn't as easy as she thought. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, hope you all are up for chapter three! I originally planned to have her whole last week in this chapter alone, but I just kept having ideas and kept writing and writing, and BAM, too long… It'll be chapter five (maybe!) before she leaves. I also keep writing scenes as they pop into my mind, so I kind of have some of chapter four done, and half of chapter six… But don't question my bizarre methods! It works :)**

**Thank you to all of you who review! But I have to say, the number of hits and reviews is horribly uneven. How do I know if I'm doing a good job if you won't tell me? Or a bad job? One bad review is better than ten good reviews, because I can become better from it!**

**~SPECIAL RESPONSES~**

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: yes, kind of. But, the letter said a minimum of three years; she could be gone for twenty :) But when you said that I was like WOW, BEEN DONE BEFORE and I felt all copy-cattish… The similarity didn't even occur to me! But it is what it is!**

**Kenzintor: Thank you! I hope I won't disappoint you either!**

**Also, I would just like to say, that I adore Kiba. Just, siiiigh :3 I love his whole animalistic persona. It's super sexy, in the sense that he's both wild and extremely loyal. And everyone loves a bad boy with a heart ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything except these words placed in their particular order. Yup.**

That night, she had made her decision. It was a no brainer, of course, but it didn't make it any less daunting. Neji had told her that if she didn't take it, he would be furious, to say the least. His pearly eyes had told a different story, however. For him, the thought of her leaving for a _minimum_ of three years made his heart beat erratically, but it was best for her, and he was going to be happy for her.

He had spent the rest of the day with her, talking mostly about things she could be learning, what her sensei would be like, and what the test he mentioned could possibly be. After the harsh rain dwindled to a slight drizzle, Neji decided to leave for the Hyuga compound. They agreed to meet up at noon the next day to finish the training that never started.

The moment he left, she felt drowsiness claim her body. Though it was still rather early, her body demanded that she get more sleep, and she complied.

Just as the sun began to peek through her curtains, Tenten stretched lazily and rose from her bed. Brown hair was sticking up everywhere it could and her legs were tangled in the sheets. It had been a rather fitful sleep, and after all that inaction, her body needed movement. She opened her fridge and found that there was little to survive on. Going to the market would be a good start to the day, she thought. Many people preferred the store, but Tenten loved the market: friendly farmers with fresh fruits and veggies, children walking hand in hand with their parents, everything alive and at peace. It was quite literally the heart of her village, as it pulsated with food, life, and community.

On her way there, she comes to the realization that it will be the last time she shops in the market for a substantial amount of time, and feels depression creeping up on her.

Tenten had no right to complain whatsoever; she had been struck with the kind of luck one rarely sees in their lifetime. She was horribly excited and just thinking about it long enough gave her goose bumps. But the thought of leaving her home, her friends and her village behind was nerve wracking. Inspecting some fuzzy green fruit, she felt a hand grab on to her shoulder.

"Guess you didn't need me on that mission after all, though I will admit I'm a little disappointed." Kiba had his mischievous smirk plastered on his face; she doubted she could get it off with a chisel if she wanted.

"Well good morning to you, too," she said with a hint of annoyance. She liked Kiba, but only as a friend, even if she was slightly attracted to him. He was making it difficult by trying to move past the platonic line and into romantic territory.

"I didn't know you come to the open market. I come here almost every morning, and I'm sure I would've noticed you," he chimed, picking up a kiwi to mock analyze it.

She jerked her head to move the bangs from her eyes to look at him clearer. Maybe he could read her eyes and tell that she didn't feel up to flirting. "I come here often. Fridge was empty, so…" she trailed off, turning her attention to some dried noodles. Her thoughts returned to their previous depressed state. She would be leaving for so long… No! She would be training and learning, she would be getting stronger, damn it, it was a good thing!

Kiba sensed her conflicted state, as he could practically smell the sadness on her. "You ok? You seem a little distracted."

Taken aback by his intuitiveness, she replied that she was fine, and flashed him a poor smile. "That's crap, Tenten. I have animal senses, remember? I can literally sense your agitation." His animal-like eyes were narrowed inquisitively and she sighed. It was nice that he was showing concern, but she really didn't feel like talking about it. But at the same time, it was better to tell him of her "mission" now than come back in three years and try to explain herself.

"Hokage-sama assigned me a…eh, special mission, one that involves a minimum of three years to complete. I have a week to get prepared… I'm just a little... I don't know, unsure? Nervous?"

Tenten watched his face twist into disbelief. "_Three years_? That's… That's… shit, it's _three_ years! What would need three years to complete?"

"I can't really say anything about it, you understand." She placed the peaches she had just bought in her market bag, and looked up at Kiba. "It would be nice to tell you everything," she admitted, as she would love to tell people she was going to train with a man possessing highly coveted skills, "but this mission is a good thing." The more she said it, the more she felt it. Pausing for a brief moment, then with a beaming smile, she added, "No, it isn't good, it's spectacular."

Returning her huge smile was easy for him, he found her smile to be contagious. "So what do you plan to do with your last week in Konoha? You've got to have a list of all the places you want to see one more time!"

Now that you mention it… "I, uh… I haven't really had the time to think about that just yet. I don't know what I'm going to do. What do – "

Poor Tenten couldn't even finish her sentence as Kiba grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her through the market. No clue where she was going, and curious as to what was on his mind, she allowed Kiba to navigate them through the market and down a couple of streets.

"Where are we going?" She asked, laughing at the spontaneity of it all. Normally she would've punched people in the face for dragging her off somewhere like this, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her. Never hearing a response, she thought, what bad could come of it? Ok, so he was obviously into her, but it didn't mean she couldn't have some pure, friendly fun with him.

Not bothering to keep track of where they were going, she was surprised at the sight that awaited her.

"If you have one week left in good old Konoha, then I want to help make it count!" He stated, with a wink. "And this stop number one!"

They had arrived in one of the many public parks and gardens of Konoha. Where they were standing was a courtyard with winding paths and intermittently placed benches, surrounded by fauna of every color and texture. Dew was still visible on the flowers and grass, and it smelled only of nature. Beyond the courtyard was an enormous field that wrapped around in a crescent shape, and it was abundant with wild flowers and tall grasses. Wind blew through the field, creating a golden and purple ripple effect. The edge of the field, as far as she could tell, was bordered by forest. Two hills protruded from the ground, one of which decorated with a large oak tree and a bundle of white fuzz.

Kiba brought her back to the present, asking her if she would like a picnic. Tenten could think of nothing better than to have a picnic on such a lovely day. The storm had brought about the brightest blue in the sky, and not a cloud could be seen. Every green seemed to be amplified, and every yellow was magnified in radiance.

He started his way towards the tree occupied by the white fur, where she quickly concluded that it was Akamaru. The pup that once sat on his head was miraculously still growing. Clearly, he was the size of a small horse, as you could probably fit two people on him now! The moment he saw her, he rushed over to her and knocked her down, licking her face all the while. Kiba laughed at Akamaru's excited state and helped Tenten off the ground, and towards a quilt under the tree. "He likes you," he explained, though she knew his lingering gaze meant 'I like you'. She couldn't help but blush.

"Akamaru likes to come here some mornings and play with the kids, "he explained. "Personally, I come here for a nice morning nap! But, seeing as how your time here is limited, I figured I could kill two birds with one stone and bring you here."

"Kill two birds with one stone?" she asked, knowing that he had hidden motives.

"I'm taking you to a place you need to see before you leave, and it saves me the trouble of asking you out on a real date!" He exclaimed smugly while taking a seat on the quilt and placing a box of food before him.

Tenten sat on the quilt beside him, and huffed loudly. "A date? Even if you had asked, I would have rejected you. This is a simple breakfast with a friend outdoors, don't flatter yourself, Inuzuka."

He couldn't help but laugh. "You're feisty and playing hard to get, I like that. And I like a challenge," said Kiba, revealing fangs with his cheeky smirk. She couldn't help thinking how sexy his animal features were. Exaggerated canines, spiky, unruly hair, predator-like eyes; he was primal.

Looking away, she took out some fruit from her grocery bag. "Keep dreaming," she chuckled.

Besides the flirting, she found that talking to Kiba was quite nice. They ate and watched Akamaru play with some children who pretended to be ninjas, and about the silly things they did when they were kids. They talked for hours, and the subjects of conversations switched from memorable missions to petty gossip to current events. When Kiba wasn't_ trying _to charm her, he did. Tenten was discovering a different side to the brash and hot-headed comrade she would often find herself on missions with. She saw that he was loyal, kind, and unselfish at heart, all of which were admirable qualities.

Maybe that brash, hot-headed nature was just how he expressed himself. After all, she could be brash and hot-headed at times. Although she prided herself on being extremely level headed and analytical when it mattered, these qualities had been somewhat eroded by the Green Beasts of Konoha. Tenten never thought of herself as an easily tempered woman, she liked to think of it as being feisty, which Kiba had so nicely pointed out. Smiling, she learned that she and Kiba weren't all that different.

"You know, talking with you is better than I imagined," he confessed, pleased with the blush that spread on her face. "Do you think I've proved myself worthy of a real kiss, yet?" Waggling his eyebrows, he moved in closer to her.

Closing her eyes and pointing her chin out and away from him in defiance, she replied, "Yet? You really are something, you know that?" Opening one eye hesitantly, she didn't see a look of discouragement, but one of determination on his features.

Like Shikamaru and clouds clouds, Tenten enjoyed watching the sun filter through the leaves, and placed her hands behind her head and leaned back to enjoy the view. Kiba followed suit.

"Better than nothing!" he chimed. "It will be a personal challenge of mine to get a kiss out of you before you leave. I think it'll be a piece of cake," he added, with a confident air swirling about him.

Winking at him this time, she tells him exactly what he told her yesterday. "Good luck!"

Kiba stared at her as the misshaped sun rays danced on her face. Already tanned skin was glowing in the morning light, and her big, chestnut eyes held a look of serenity and contentment. Sensing his focus on her, she asked, "What?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing," he replied, fang tattoos stretching over his smiling cheeks as she scoffed.

The children that had been playing with Akamaru ran up to them, wanting to know what it was like to be ninjas. Tenten and Kiba laughed awkwardly, and gave them answers that would suit the average five-year-old. One in particular asked for tips, and Tenten gave him a few pointers on accuracy while Kiba gave him useful tracking information. Not that the poor kid would remember anything the next day, but it was always nice to see future generations so excited about everything. Even though the ninja life was horribly glamourized, it wouldn't do any good to burst their bubbles anytime soon.

She proceeded to clean up the remains of her fruit she had eaten and throw them into the field before standing and stretching her torso. "I promised Neji we would train today, I should get going," she told him.

Kiba's face changed at the mention of Neji. "So, what's with him?" Tenten was confused at his serious tone. Before she asked him what he meant, she realized Kiba was mentioning his reaction to him the day before.

"Neji actually cares for Hinata, you know. Imagine if someone had accidently hurt Hana during a training exercise, you would react the same, if not worse," she added with a slight laugh. Putting some stray hairs behind her ear, she added, "He's protective, is all."

"Yeah," he started, unconvinced, "protective of Hinata or of you?"

"I don't know what this has to do with me, but of course he's protective of me. We're teammates, and best friends, it's only natural," she stated, still unsure about where Kiba was coming from. A feeling crept up her spine, and she hoped he wasn't going where she thought he was going.

"No, I mean… is there something between you two?"

Damn.

I wish, she thought. Turning her face away from him to mask her emotions, she replied, "That's absurd. The last thing Neji has on his mind is romance, more so with me."

He laughs to himself, and mumbles something about her being naïve. Dismissing the comment, she turns and starts to walk away.

"Tell Neji about our little date this morning," he called out, "and that we'll meet same time, same place tomorrow, and see how he reacts."

"Oh, really?" She asked, smiling. She might just take him up on that offer…

He nods and waves while smiling that brilliant smile of his. Tenten returns his smile and pets Akamaru lovingly before making her way back home.

Arriving just in time to prepare herself, she put her groceries in their respectable places and grabbed everything she needed. She decided that her loose red tee and tight black capris were more than suitable for sparring, and strapped the kunai pouch to her leg. The belt that held her scrolls rested softly on her hips, and gloves were the last thing to be put on, as they still rubbed her hand raw. With her water bottle in hand and a last minute inspection, she nodded to herself in approval and headed out.

"You're late."

Neji sat under a tree, meditating, clothed in simple shiobi attire. The man made simple things look so sexy.

"Sorry," she apologized, even though she was five minutes early. "I met Kiba at the market, and we had a breakfast picnic at the park."

Revealing narrowed white eyes, he felt the twenty minutes of meditating and collecting his reserve wash down the drain. "Kiba?" he asks with disdain.

"I told him about me having a few days left here, and said he wanted to make my days count." She smiled at his kindness. He might have been a huge flirt, but he had heart. "We're meeting up again tomorrow." Placing her water bottle near Neji's, she suddenly laughs loudly. He raises an eyebrow.

"He's declared it a personal challenge to get a kiss from me by the end of the week," she admitted with a shake of her head, "but all that aside, he's pretty nice to be around."

Neji fumed silently as he watched her stretch and walk towards the middle of the field. Kiss her? That mutt was going to taint her. Being her best friend, he knew she had never been kissed before. Although he preferred himself to bear the honor of giving Tenten her first kiss – and many other firsts – he knew it would never happen. The idea of her being with other people was painful, and Neji knew he had to get over it soon.

But he'd be damned if Kiba were the one to possess such an honor.

"You ready?" she calls out. Through the rigid movements of his body, she can see his agitation. That's funny, he was never tense after meditating. Was it what she said about her and Kiba? And earlier, had Kiba implied that Neji was jealous? Jealousy wasn't something she'd ever seen in him, how would she know what it looked like?

She mentally slapped herself. Neji wasn't jealous, and it was stupid of her to look for something that wasn't there. These thoughts had to be silenced, pushed as far back as her mind would allow. No hope in looking for hope. There were many things she still didn't understand about Neji, and she would stop asking questions and just add "dislike of Kiba" to the list.

A few strands of hair blew into his face as he took his place before her. The scowl on his face meant there would be no pre-spar banter, as he was already in a mood to fight. He suddenly remembered that she had a new technique she would be using on him today, so he tried to shaped his anger into awareness and concentration.

Neji made the first move. Aggression was not something Neji utilized often when sparring, but she could feel it. Upping her game, she remained focused, trying to do two things at once. Fists contacted abdomens, elbows hit backs, knees scraped the ground, and legs swiped at air. Tenten did her best to cover as much ground as possible, using the entirety of the field to her advantage. Jumping off trees, flipping through the air, coupling her agility and speed – all of which were evasive. It wasn't hard fighting with him, years of training with him made his moves almost predictable. Rarely did she land any hits, however.

Dodging many of his attacks was her current objective, and Neji noted. The use of defensive combat hinted to him that she was planning something. If she was too busy doing something else, say, setting up a trap, then she would be more bothered by that than actually landing a hit on him. Neji wasn't thinking clearly however, and simply fought harder, instead of keeping an analytical eye on her movements. In his current mind's eye, he would use his offensive combat to distract her as best as he could. He could take his anger out on her physically and use it as a distraction. And he thought it was working.

She tried to keep up with his speed, but found it difficult. Neji hit her once, twice, three times – she had to push onwards. Bouncing off a tree and landing behind him, Tenten hit him hard in the back, chakra centered in her hand to really send him stumbling. He growled in frustration, he may have the Byakugan, but kunoichis like her had grace and speed that was unimaginable. It was one thing he envied her for. At least she looked good when she flipped in mid-air.

Once, he thought he saw a flicker of something in her hand. His Byakugan wasn't activated though and he couldn't see it properly, because so far it was a simple hand-to-hand spar. Landing a blow to a pressure point in her shoulder, she gasped in pain. Knowing her arm was useless for the next five minutes, she was able to change her strategy to accommodate for her brief handicap.

About forty minutes into the fight, she flipped away from his oncoming attack and whipped out a kunai, seemingly from thin air. Neji learned early on that she had an uncanny ability to do that. Realizing that they were standing in the center where they started, he saw that she was unmoving. Tenten wasn't going to attack him, but didn't look like it was a defensive move. Huffing the bangs from her determined eyes, she waited.

"What are you doing, Tenten?"

Lowering her weapon, she stared back at him in confusion. "What am _I_ doing?" She was sure he would've caught on by now. Was he distracted? Psh, she thought, as if. Maybe her little technique had been successful after all. Smirking, she threw the kunai into the ground and made a series of hand signals.

Chains were coming at Neji from all directions. After jumping every which way he could, and avoiding the chains the best he knew how, he still found himself wrapped shoulder to ankle in thirty or so strings of metal. Succumbing to defeat, he closed his eyes in fury. Only now had he known what she did, and what he did wrong. Because of his anger, he had under analyzed and underestimated her, and he was furious with himself. Instead of choosing to distract her, he should've been watching her movements between movements. That flicker of something on her hand was crucial to her new technique, and he had overlooked it. Neji prided himself on being controlled and logical in any situation, and now, because of her, he was neither.

Tenten walked up to him with a satisfied and smug grin on her face. "I could cut off your head if I wanted to," she sang.

He tried his best to not appear as enraged as he was. The last thing he needed was her rubbing it in his face, even if she did do a job well done.

"While you were busy fighting me, I was busy laying camouflaged summoning seals on trees. That hit on your back wasn't just my fist, either. I managed to make a target, infused with my chakra, so that when summoned, the chains would easily find and contain you. It took a while to work out some kinks, but I think it was totally worth it," she finished, brown eyes glowing in success.

Releasing the chains and reverse summoning them back to their seals, she watched Neji roll the discomfort and tension out of his shoulders. Hair was still untouched, and clothes weren't dirty. It wasn't really a successful spar on their part, but she always wondered how he kept so clean during training.

"So?" she asked rather impatiently, "what do you think?" Tenten was eager for his answer and rocked on her heels; she loved it when he complimented her.

"It wasn't as effective as you'd like to think," he spat. "I knew what you were doing the whole time, I merely wanted to see it executed." He lied. He knew he would feel horrible for it later. "If this had been a real battle, with a true enemy, it would have been a laughing matter." White eyes were piercing through her. What the hell was his problem?

"Bullshit." Livid, she couldn't help but bite back her tongue from all the things she really wanted to say. Trying to candy-coat her response, she said, "I spent weeks on this technique, it is _flawless_ now. I don't know what your deal is, Hyuga. And don't lie to me, you're insulting us both." Tenten hated his pride. Normally, he would congratulate her on defeating him. Now he was just being twelve-year-old asshole Neji.

"Me, insulting? You're the one who will be insulting, representing Konoha shinobi with such ill-conceived traps. A genin would've seen through that in a heartbeat," he spat at her.

Damn, he hadn't meant to be that cruel. And the sad part was that he was lying. He hadn't even seen the seals in her hands, and he believed that even with a calm demeanor and a level head, he would've been caught by her technique. With the look now forming on her face, he was immediately regretting his words.

Anger was not agreeable on her ever happy face, no matter how cute her pout was, and her eyes glossed over with tears she would not shed and hatred she would not voice. Right then and there, she hated him.

Neji hated himself more, though; he was the source of her displeasure. As much as he wanted to apologize at that moment, he couldn't. It wouldn't be very characteristic of him to do such a thing, and he wouldn't allow her to change him completely. He would still retain his dignity and stoicism.

But Tenten was the cause of it all, anyways, he thought. If he wasn't in love with the girl, then he wouldn't have had this petty jealousy in the first place. As a result, he was taking his frustration out on her.

But he realized immediately that it made no sense to be mad at Tenten for something she can't control. So then the blame would be turned on himself, again. The fault was his, and his alone.

Wait, was he blaming himself for loving her? He had about as much control over it as she did.

Kami, when did he turn into a girl?

She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it and looked away. Turning to gather her seals from the trees, she gathered her things and walked off, all the while taking large, angry gulps of water.

All Tenten wanted to do was go home, post a picture of Neji on her target board, and throw large and extremely dangerous weapons at it for the reminder of the day.

Times like these made her wonder why she loved him. No! Not love, never _ever_ love, she only…

Fuck.

There it was.

She said it.

Love…

She loved Neji; didn't know why, though. He could be rude, prideful, insensitive, unwavering, stubborn and forceful. There were days when he wasn't talkative, and she would know something was amiss, but he wouldn't tell her. Neji never really let her in. Granted, she had seen more of the real him than anyone else on the planet, but she didn't truly know the real Neji. There is a mystery that surrounds him, even to this day. Tenten had told him everything about her past that she knew, and she had confided in with him intimate details of her heart. Opening her own home for him, even though she was met with closed doors. At times she found his stoicism to be comforting, and at others she found it to be absolutely unnerving. She knew it had to be hard for him, but they had been friends since they were twelve! She still didn't know one thing about his mother, not even her name.

What on earth did she see in him?

Maybe it was the little things he did. Things like sitting on the lopsided stool at Kakaru's restaurant, because her legs were too short to keep her from toppling over. And giving her his rations when Lee had dropped her own in the river. Little things like remembering her birthday when she had forgotten it herself, and reassuring her that she would pass the chuunin exams the following year because she would be twice as strong.

When it came down to it, Neji was the kindest person to her through his actions. No one had given her the support he had, or the thoughtfulness he had. Through the past six odd years, Neji was the one getting her through her dark days and pushing her to her limits. He knew what she needed when it came to words of encouragement and criticism. Neji never held back from saying anything because it would hurt her feelings, because he knew it wouldn't.

Instinctively, he would know when something was bothering her. She had a nervous habit of tucking non-existent hair behind her ear, and Neji caught on quick, and would ask what was on her mind. When she missed a target, he insisted she go home and sleep it off, whatever "it" was.

One thing she couldn't forget is the things he's taught her. Not just in skill and physical combat, but with how he handles himself. Always calm and controlled, but not as cold as he was in his genin days. Neji was a beautiful contrast to her spunky and brash nature, and they complimented each other well.

It didn't help that he had gotten lucky with the gene pool. All Hyugas were attractive, she would admit, but Neji practically screamed sex. Those stern and comforting pale eyes, the long, silky smooth hair, the plush lips, that angled jawline, and the years of shinobi life literally carved into his body…

It was really hot outside, she noted.

Wiping some sweat off her brow and rounding a corner, her body collided with another. "Oh, crap! I'm so sorry, let me help you – "

"Tenten! Just who I wanted to see!" Sakura was already on the ground, picking up the items she had dropped. Bending down to help, she noticed they were an assortment of herbs, vials and bandages.

"Hm? For what?" The pink-haired kunoichi before her was the best girlfriend she had. Though they were both her friends, Hinata was still too shy about things, and Ino was much too loud about everything.

They stood and Sakura swept away at the dust on her shorts. "I was on my way to Kakaru's, and thought it would be nice if you joined me! Kiba said you were training with Neji, so I thought I'd look for you there, but it looks like you found me first," she ended, a content look resting in her brilliant green eyes. It had been so long since Sakura had been unhappy, and Tenten hoped she would stay this way, even after she was gone.

Gone. Tenten would be leaving. For at least three years. There was no way she could pass up an opportunity to be with friends, especially Sakura.

"That sounds great! I have worked up and appetite." Returning her smile, and letting go all thoughts of Neji and his pompous and wonderful self, she walked with Sakura towards the restaurant.

Once inside, Tenten ordered something hot and spicy, as she loved spicy foods. She told Sakura about her day, and brushed over details of her training with Neji. Doing the same, Sakura said she spent some time with Tsunade before going to get all the supplies she needed.

"What for?" She asked, slurping up her red hot noodles. The girl beside her stopped eating and blushed, pink cheeks clashing with her pink hair.

"They're for you, actually... Tsunade-sama told me of your mission, and how long it would take. She asked me to make list of all the diseases one could get in the mountainous regions, along with their remedies and preventative measures. But, as a personal going away gift, I'm making you a special medical kit, one that's fully stocked and expertly equipped!"

All she could do was blink at the girl before she engulfed her in a Lee-esque embrace. "Thank you, Sakura. I…I don't know what else to say."

"Say you'll come back well and alive," she said with a pinch of sadness, brows furrowed in concern.

"I'll come back better than that," she replied, suddenly remembering her training, and Ishi-sensei, and becoming a better ninja. The first thing she was going to do when she got home was read his letter over and over again, till every word was burned into her eyes.

When they finished eating, Tenten thanked Sakura for the hundredth time and promised they would get together again before leaving for her mission. She couldn't wait to get home now to read her new sensei's letter and write a list of all the things she would need. It was true: the more she thought about it, the more excited and impatient she became.

On second thought, she could have waited on going back so soon. Opening her door, she found Lee and Gai-sensei eating some of her instant ramen. They had been waiting for her… Now, she found herself unwillingly piggy-backing her sensei through the streets and rooftops of the village, who was proclaiming to all the blossoming of his youthful lotus. Sighing, she figured the Hokage would've told him everything. If she were completely honest with herself, she would say that she enjoyed being the center of his attention for once. For a brief moment, not caring who saw, she allowed herself to raise her arms and drink in everything she had.

She had a girlfriend who was making sure that, even though she wouldn't be there in person, Tenten would be properly attended to.

She had a moody, prideful, jerk of a best friend who she loved and who she was going to miss most of all.

She had a hot guy who was genuinely interested in her, and although it is unrequited and extremely irrelevant to her situation, simply added to her feeling of accomplishment.

She had a goofy sensei that was extremely proud of her, and showing it in the most embarrassing way possible, and she loved it.

She had a path she could follow, a sensei who could teach her and a future she could see more clearly.

Smiling up to the sun, Tenten felt lucky for the first time in in her life.

**Yes, I ended this chapter with a still of Tenten on Gai-sensei's back with arms raised and triumphant face towards the sun.**

**BUT I LOVE IT.**

**Gotta have a little cheese, ya know? ;)**

**OH AND BEFORE I FORGET, I have thing for playlists. If I feel uninspired, I select songs that I think will help to get the gears turning and it always helps! Music's a very big influence in my life. And I might list some of the songs that helped me in my future chapters. Whatcha think? No? Awesome?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so happy you all are enjoying this story, because it's really fun to write, and all your reviews are super motivating to put chapters up as soon as I can! THANK YOUUUU to everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me :3**

**.Silence: You don't know how happy your comment made me! I appreciate you going into depth of why you like my story so much, it was super thoughtful and analytical! And I'd like to read that fic of yours if you ever write it, sounds interesting! :D**

**So I took FIVE days off in celebration for my birthday! I've been working nearly 40 hours a week, for an eternity, and I don't plan on doing ANYTHING but writing, and bumming, and watching movies, and yeah, so I'll have time to sort through all my random notes regarding this story.**

**I HEREBY DISCLAIM THE GREAT NARUTO AND HIS GREAT FRIENDS**

* * *

><p>It was Friday morning, and Tenten woke up earlier than usual, as it was about six o'clock. She would be meeting Kiba at the garden around eight, so she had some time to kill.<p>

One thing she rarely ever indulged in was baths. It was a shame too, they were relaxing and warm and fragrant – all things girls loved. Tenten never had the time, but since she was placed in a situation where she had plenty of it, she thought why the hell not? And what a lovely decision she had made.

Feeling deliciously refreshed from her soak, she thought the best way to follow up a luxurious bath was with an elegant breakfast. Fruit, eggs and pork cutlets adorned her plate. Maybe it wasn't the fanciest of meals, but it was colorful enough for her!

While getting dressed, she decided on a whim to wear her hair down in celebration of change. Today was going to be a good day; she could feel it in her bones. She picked out loose navy short shorts and a tight black shirt that had armored mesh sleeves, just stopping at her elbows. With her hair down, she noticed her bangs grazed her cheek bones and were long enough to flow into the rest of her hair naturally. Had it been that long since she had gotten a haircut? It had been several years… Time seemed to fly by when you were risking your life for your village.

All through breakfast she had read and reread her sensei's letter. Tenten was sure her heart was mad at her, as it would skip a beat every time a new scenario would present itself in her head, and that was a frequent occurrence. To relieve some of the anxiety – and excitement, nervousness, and impatience – she began her list of things she would need to pack.

1) Training clothes, some winter clothes, NEW gloves  
>2) Shinobi boots and sandals<br>3) Every single scroll I own  
>4) Toothbrush, ninja antiperspirant*, travel soap<br>5) Standard pillow and blanket  
>6) Camping bowl, cup, and utensils<br>7) PLENTY of hair ties  
>8) Sakura's medical kit<br>9) Weapon cleaning kit  
>10) Picture of Team Gai and special kunai<p>

Tenten stared at her list for what must have been ages. Having all her essentials and necessities for camping, plus some mementos from home, she declared her list a success, and left her house to meet Kiba.

It was another beautiful day in Konoha, earning its namesake with gusts of wind carrying leaves around in circles above her head. Clouds blotted the sky and the sun was bright with prospect. Summer would come soon, and it was already hot. She was glad she wore shorts.

Arriving at the tree in the field rather early, she leaned against it and waited. It wasn't long before she sensed his chakra, but she didn't open her eyes just yet, she loved the sounds of the outdoors.

"You make it awfully hard not to kiss you when you look like that."

Now she really didn't want to open her eyes, already seeing his expression in her mind. It suddenly occurred to her that he would take her long hair and short shorts as trying to look good for him, which was the farthest from the truth.

"I'm wearing my hair down in celebration of change, if you must know." She replied, now watching as Kiba drank in her appearance. One hand was stuck in his pocket and the other raked through his hair.

"Kami bless change, then!"

Trying to hide her flattery and changing the subject, she asked him what they were going to do today. Akamaru appeared behind him and Kiba moved aside, spreading his arms out towards the canine, like he was presenting him as a gift. "Your chariot awaits!"

"You want me… to ride Akamaru?" She asked with caution, she didn't really know how to feel about that. He was big enough sure, but it looked a bit… awkward.

"He loves it, don't worry! Plus, he's super soft. I promise, you won't be sorry." Did he always have a glint of mischief in his eyes? Most likely. Riding a dog was something she'd definitely never done before, and it could be fun. Tenten kept the suspicious look on her face until Kiba took her hand and guided her towards the fuzzy dog.

"What, I don't have a choice?"

"Not really," he said, helping her onto Akamaru. Staring at him with mock anger, she allowed him to place her hands in the right spots. "It's important to hold him at the base of his neck, near his shoulders. Anywhere else will hinder his movements. Keep your knees tight, and your legs a little loose. Once you get going, you'll be able to get a rhythm with loosening and tightening your legs. Simple enough, right?"

Her brows were knotted in uncertainty. "I guess," she replied, with a nervous laugh. Akamaru was extremely plushy, no wonder Kiba slept on him during missions.

"Alright then!" Kiba took off running at full speed, leaving Tenten open-mouthed and shocked.

"Wha… You je – !" Akamaru lurched forward and she almost flew backwards. Luckily she remembered to hold on! Amazed at the speed at which he was running, she quickly found the rhythm Kiba mentioned, and synchronized her motions with his. In no time at all the dog had caught up with him and they engaged in a race. The three raced the along the border of the village, edging the forest and soaring through the vast expanses of land.

Realizing it is the second time in two days that she's piggy-backed, she finds that she doesn't mind at all.

Tenten was surprised at how fast Akamaru could run, even with her on his back, Kiba had some difficulty at times catching up. She found herself laughing out of sheer joy, loving the feeling of the wind whipping at her hair and the speed at which she was going. Kiba would egg on his canine companion to provide some real competition, and the dog would respond by barking and growling playfully. She found their relationship to be completely _adorable_, there was just no other word appropriate.

Kiba looked amazing when he ran, she observed. His back was straight, arms pumping at his sides and legs blurred with haste. As he ran against the wind, his clothes pressed against him, and she could see a better outline of his form. Broad shoulders and a narrow waist, strong but lean arms, and long, sturdy legs. Her cheeks burned as he caught her admiring him, and his grin was impossibly widened.

Forgetting everything but her feeling of flying, she tilted her head back and laughed loudly at the sky. This wasn't just fun, it was liberating! Kiba felt a sense of accomplishment as he watched her laugh so freely, hair careless and eyes sparkling.

He would not lie to himself; he could really fall for this girl. That was dangerous. And boy, did Kiba love danger.

Tenten did not know how long they had been running, or where they even where. Before long, though, she feels herself losing speed, and the two athletes slowed to a light jog until they reached the streets. Kiba's breathing was labored, but he looked perfectly fine. Akamaru, however, was breathing like he had been walking the whole time. Was he really a dog? Were they sure he wasn't a horse in disguise?

Still riding on his back, they walked through the streets, earning amused looks from many people. Kids would run up and pet Akamaru and ask her how much fun it was to ride him. She tried to straighten her hair, but it was beyond her control.

"Stop fussing with it," he said, breaking the silence, "it's a good look for you." Kiba winked at her and laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"So where exactly are we going? I don't really like surprises," she admitted.

"You don't like surprises? Hm… Well do you like spicy foods?"

Tenten's ears perked up at the mention of spicy foods, and her attention was focused solely on Kiba. "Like it?" She asked, "I love it!" How did he…

"Sakura told me it was your favorite!" Of course, she wouldn't be surprised if Sakura had hidden motives of her own. "Believe it or not, it's one of my favorites too! Hana and I go to this little restaurant called Fire Eaters, and they serve the hottest foods in Fire Country," he stated with the utmost satisfaction.

Never in all her years had she heard of such a restaurant, how had she not known? "I didn't even know there was such a place," she expressed, looking at him, astonished.

"Lucky you have me then, eh?" Kiba's fangs shined in the sun, and it reminded her of Gai and Lee, though Kiba looked handsome when it happened to him.

"Must be…" she trailed off, hearing a familiar voice. Frowning, she realized who owned that deep and somewhat monotonous voice. They rounded a corner and her beliefs were confirmed.

"Tenten?" Neji had stopped speaking to Hinata mid-sentence to try and comprehend what he was seeing. Tenten was riding atop Akamaru, her hair was down and beautifully windblown, her legs were bare and smooth, and she was with Kiba. She looked damn good like that. His blood boiled with lust and anger.

"Kiba! Tenten!" Hinata walked up to Akamaru and pet him lovingly, to which he whimpered and licked her back in thanks.

"I see that your ankle is fine," Tenten assessed. The soft spoken girl replied that it had been minor, and that Naruto and Kiba had blown things out of proportion.

"Yeah, well…" Rubbing his neck and looking away, Kiba wanted and tried to avoid two situations. One was Hinata scolding him for his behavior the other day, and the other was Neji glaring at him in obvious jealousy. The former never came, however, but the latter would proceed silently.

Turning his attention to Tenten, Neji took this moment as an opportunity to apologize. Clearing his throat, he asked Tenten if he could speak to her privately for a moment.

Tenten honestly didn't need a lecture from Neji right now. Though she understood fully that his animosity towards Kiba was unexplained, she'd be damned if he would tell her who to be around. She was having a good, no, _great_ time, and she didn't need Neji's mood souring up her day. But, being the good friend and one who was desperately in love with him, she slid off Akamaru with ease and followed him around the corner from whence she had just came.

She huffed and crossed her arms, "If you're going to tell me you don't like me being with Kiba, save it. He's_ my_ friend, and whatever beef you have with him doesn't matter to me."

Neji hated that he became slightly aroused when she stood her ground and set out to defy him.

He hated a lot of things about Tenten; the greatest being that she _unhinged_ him. Before he met her and let her into his life, he was simple. Complex thoughts or emotions were solved by analytical thinking and logical responses, yet there was nothing simple or logical with Tenten. Sure, if you looked at the grand scale of things she was deeply passionate, fiercely determined, and extremely level headed. When you take a closer look, through Neji's all-seeing, observant eyes, you can begin to see the anomalies. He hated anomalies.

Tenten understood him better than anyone, most times even better than himself, and he hated that she would know what he was going to say, before he would even say it. He hated that she often times embodied everything he wanted to be: unbound and care-free. He hated how dependent he had become of her support and acceptance. He hated that loving her had changed him in so many ways.

Neji could still recall that day he came upon the realization that he loved her.

_Team Gai was on a mission. It was a simple reconnaissance turned bad. When they were ambushed, Tenten was the first to take action. Literally exploding her arsenal onto the ten or so ninja with intent to kill, she put up quite a fight. When more started coming, it went from bad to nasty. Using up substantial amounts of chakra to fend them off, it soon developed into individual battles, each member taking on five men. In the midst of the chaos, Neji saw Tenten from behind him, thrusting her body in his blind spot. He turned his head quick enough to see her throw her arm in the path of a kunai headed for the back of his neck. Tenten's arm slashed at the kunai so that it would not impale her but slice her, thus minimizing the muscle damage. It would later become apparent to Neji that she only needed to aim another kunai at it, not her own arm._

_When they completed their mission, bloodied and exhausted, they tended to their wounds. Feeling guilty for the angry gash on her arm, he offered to treat it himself. _

"_You didn't have to do that, Tenten," he said, with an obvious scolding tone to his voice._

_She narrowed her eyes, and turned her head away from him. Everything she was giving off read that she felt her act of heroism was no big deal. "Well… you're no good to me dead, are you?" Tenten replied harshly._

_Mouth open, he could only stare at her. They were never outwardly emotional people like Lee and Gai, and they had developed a language of their own to address pressing matters. In her own way, she had voiced her utter fear of his death. And even when she had other methods of saving him from a potentially dangerous injury, she had acted on instinct and sacrificed her own body. In a split second, his feelings for her changed from those of immense appreciation to unconditional love. Neji had certainly never been in love before, but staring at her now, every interaction between them playing before his eyes with unthinkable speed, he knew it. It made sense. He would rather have taken the kunai to the back of his neck if it meant keeping her from any form of harm. Just as she had done for him, Neji would never second guess placing her safety before his very life. Readopting his fatalistic views for this one instance, he believed he was fated to love her. Tenten was his teammate, his best friend, his confidante, his light, his heart, body and soul._

_In that one moment, she had become everything to him. Neji could not envision himself with anyone other than the girl before him, it was totally inconceivable. Always knowing his duties to the clan required producing offspring, he would imagine a woman with average beauty, somewhat tolerable and gently spoken so they could get along well. Now that image was completely shattered, as he knew the fiercely out spoken, bun-haired girl was the only one suitable to fill such a role._

_And with the next breath he took, he hated her. I fell in love with her because she saved my life, he thought, that's such a womanly thing to do…_

_He shook his head and sighed exasperatedly, dressing her wound with a new tenderness._

He stared at her for a while before softening his features. There was a scar on her arm, more defined than the others, that destroyed three inches of her silky skin. For him. Taking a deep breath and looking away he mutters, "I'm sorry." He meant it for both yesterday, and for his jealousy, but she would never know. "For yesterday," he specifies. He was able to look her in the eyes now, the worst part was over. "Your technique was rather brilliant, and even being a proclaimed genius, I fell for it. Admittedly, I was mad at myself for not being entirely focused and engaged during our training, and took my anger out on you. For that, I apologize."

His face reminded her that of a child's when they were forced by their parents to apologize. It was a look that spoke of embarrassment and self-defeat. She could remember the first time he ever apologized to her. She was stunned, to say the least, more so by the fact that it was genuine. Neji was not genuine with anything except the frigid truth when he was twelve. Tenten knew that Neji would never do something as emotionally exposing as apologizing or admitting he was wrong, unless he truly meant it, even if his actions proved otherwise. Like the pouting look that currently adorned his face. It just meant he was still getting over the guilt that he felt.

Tenten could almost forgive him for how cute he looked pouting like that.

Almost.

She smiled and loosened her arms, an idea popping into her head. "Well," she began, "you can make it up to me by buying me a new pair of gloves!"

A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. As stubborn as she was, she was not one to hold a grudge for long, especially towards him. He asked her if they should go now, as he was currently available.

"I uh… I was just about to eat somewhere with Kiba, actually… But you and Hinata are more than welcome to join. It's this place called Fire Eaters, ever heard of it?" Whether he'd heard of it or not, he would decline, because Neji hated spicy food. He wouldn't even touch pepper, for Kami's sake!

His face sporting a mildly unappeased look, he replied, "I'll pass. I'll be waiting for you at the store in one hour." Tenten was going on a date with Kiba. Of course, he had the option of dining with them and completely ruining the mutt's chances of making any moves, but Tenten knew he hated anything that made his mouth burn, therefore it would have been suspicious of him to accept her offer.

Not giving her a chance to reply, he rounded the corner and she followed. They found Hinata and Kiba talking harshly in hushed tones, but as soon as she caught sight of the two, Hinata motioned for Kiba to ix-nay. Both pretended they saw nothing, mounting it to be intimate teammate business.

Parting ways with Hinata and Neji, Tenten followed Kiba a little ways further down the street to a well hidden restaurant. Dogs weren't allowed in many restaurants in Konoha, but since the owner was a personal friend of Kiba's mother, he was more that glad to give Akamaru some of the kitchen scraps and a seat all his own.

Red walls, red booths, red bowls, red tables, red ceiling. The entirety of the spectrum of red hues could be found in this one location. There was so much red inside the place, Tenten was sure that it _smelled_ red. In the far back corner, there was a couple being entertained by a man who breathed fire, thought it didn't appear to be ninjutsu, and this fascinated Tenten. The booth they sat in was rounded, and they were only supplied with a tiny table and a large jug of water. Akamaru took up more than half the booth, which required Kiba to sit just a little too close for Tenten's liking.

Sniffing the air and registering it with a sigh, he looks at Tenten saying, "I love anything that smells wonderful." He was neither coy nor tactful in the slightest. He was a ninja, right?

"So, what's with the table?" She asked, a blush warming her cheeks, wanting to change the subject.

"It is the hottest food in the country. You don't really come here to eat for sustenance, it's more for fun," he told her.

"I'm surprised I never knew about this place before! I would have come here once a week," she said, with a bit of regret.

Winking at her for what had to be the hundredth time, Kiba cockily replied, "You're welcome!"

Before she had a chance to respond with something backhanded and witty, a young man approached them and set a bowl in front of Akamaru. Not knowing what to order, and wanting to order everything at once, she reluctantly let Kiba decide for her. Tenten was above needing a man deciding anything for her, but she made an exception for him. Actually, it was the second exception, as he was the one who decided she would get on Akamaru's back. But from the outcome of that experience, she didn't think she'd mind him ordering food for her.

Once again, she found talking to Kiba as simple as breathing air. One conversation topic would flow into the next like the summer breeze currently blowing through the front entrance of the eatery. The food arrived, and Tenten loved how emblazoned and orange and steamy everything appeared. She was positive she could see heat waves rising from the table. They laughed and cried; the tears more from the heat of the food than their laughter.

She found herself thinking, not once, but _twice_, what it would be like to have those fangs dig into her flesh. Was the room getting hot as well? No, she thought, Kiba must have some pheromones he released around her; she wouldn't put it past him.

Kiba even tried feeding Tenten a portion of his food, but she told him it wasn't ever going to happen. "That's fine, I like independent women," he cheeked.

When they were done eating, they left hot-faced and made their way back into the center of the village. "Thank you, Kiba, it really was thoughtful of you." She silently gave thanks that he happened to love the same crazy foods as she did. Her smile was one of pure heart and appreciation as she looked up at him.

"It was nothing, Ten. I have to make your one week worth it, remember! Plus, I have to charm you into that kiss…" he said, leaning in closer to her as they walked. He put his arm around her and stared at her longingly with those animalistic eyes of his, quite literally looking like he wanted to attack her.

But Kiba wasn't stupid, as he knew if he were to force a move on her, he'd have both Tenten and Neji out for his genitals… In the worst way possible…

"Keep dreaming, Inuzuka," she droned, all pure heart and appreciation falling from her face, "because your dreams are the only place you'll get a kiss from me." It was her turn to wink as she walked backwards in front of him before strutting away hastily.

Kiba took time to admire the view she was unknowingly giving him.

It took her five minutes to reach the store, and she was a little early, though she had no doubt Neji would be waiting for her at the door. As she expected, she saw the Hyuga prodigy leaning against the wall of the store, and locked eyes with him.

When Kiba was trying, she couldn't deny that she found herself attracted to him. However, when Neji was standing twenty feet away, just looking at her, it would ignite her system. Tenten shook her head and purged those types of thoughts from her mind because they would only hurt her in the end. If she were to be completely honest with herself, the concept of her and Kiba in a relationship didn't completely turn her off. Over the past few days, and weeks really, she had formed a close friendship towards the canine-lover. They shared the same views, same tastes, same opinions. She believed that even though her heart belonged to another, if she put in the time and effort, she could quite possibly really have something meaningful with Kiba. He was kind, funny, sexy, and blatantly interested. It was much more appropriate to choose the guy who wants you than to choose the guy you couldn't ever have, and maybe loving Kiba would help her get over Neji… But the brutal reality of the situation was that she was leaving in almost four days for a_ minimum_ of three years, it would be a fruitless effort to start a relationship now.

Suddenly, she reprimanded herself for indulging her mind with such frivolities! All shinobi, even kunoichi, were taught to push their emotions aside, and here she was contemplating a relationship with one man when she was in love with another! She could stab herself! The only thing that should be on her mind is her future training with her new sensei!

Damn Neji and his ability to consume her. That was one thing she would have to do while training, perfect her new Get-Over-Neji Jutsu!

Neji could sense her chakra from a mile away. Literally. "Ready?" He asks her, even though that wasn't the first question to pop into his head. Wanting to know what their…_date_…consisted of, he opens his mouth to ask before clamping it shut. Rational and logical, he chanted…

Either way, he'd hate the response, so why ask?

It didn't take long for them to find what they needed and exit the store. Well, for Tenten, that is. She had to stifle her giggles as she watched Neji begrudgingly ask for assistance, seeing as how they were out of the shoes in his size, and try not to Gentle Fist the man who grabbed his foot from underneath him, to check his measurements. It was quite the spectacle as Neji did his best not to attack a civilian, because for a quick second, he thought it was Lee, and if he had delivered a blow meant for Lee, the man would surely be in the hospital for weeks.

"It is beyond me how some people can develop relatively no common sense or dignity," he grumbled at her while they made their way back onto the street. She nodded, but at the same time gave pity. The owner of the shop had failed to graduate the academy several times, though his passion for the ninja way never ceased, and instead opened up a shop specifically for clothing the warriors of the village. He would go out of his way to help a shinobi, though his unrelenting respect came off as overbearing, almost all the time.

Meeting his opalescent eyes, she thanked him with one of her best smiles. Neji looked away and replied that there was no need to be thankful of a deserved apology. "You have many other items to gather for your… journey, am I right? I would be more than happy to accompany you." He returned her smile with one of his rarer, larger smiles, one that reached his eyes.

Kami bless, why did he have to smile like that? It was stunning… "Uh, yeah…" she replied shakily. "Hair ties for one," she said while raking her fingers through her still unruly hair.

Neji silently prayed all the hair ties in the world would vanish.

"Did you want to go now, or…"

"Actually, I promised Lee days ago that we'd go running today, and I was planning on doing all my shopping tomorrow anyways. Is that ok?"

Running… with Lee… what on earth did Kiba feed her? Tenten hates running, and especially when accompanied by Lee's annoyingly youthful propositions and goals. He raised an eyebrow, unsure exactly how to vocalize his confusion.

"I actually enjoy running, you know, when I don't have a destination or time restriction. Lee and I often go running, but only on the conditions that he doesn't try to do anything… Lee-ish. Sometimes I miss the intense training of our genin days," she ended, with a nostalgic laugh.

"I didn't know that…" Neji responded, still slightly in shock. There was yet another anomaly, great.

"I guess this means Hyuga's don't know everything, huh?" She turned and headed off in the direction of Lee's house.

Unpredictable, Neji thought. Though currently, he wasn't thinking much at all, as he was mesmerized by the bare expanse of her legs sauntering away from him.

* * *

><p>Tenten was in a club. A night club, mind you, not a knitting club. She was in a place oozing with music, alcohol and sex. And she had never felt so free in her life.<p>

Of course, it had been Kiba's idea. He said it was her duty to have at least one night partying, especially if she had never been before. Clubbing was for the non-shinobi teens, and was frowned upon by the older generations for many reasons. Tenten was wary at first, as Kiba kept insisting it was a date, and when she told Sakura, the pink haired girl dragged her around town searching for proper attire. Secretly, Tenten was rather looking forward to it. Dancing was something she had always wanted to indulge in.

However, when she entered the club, throbbing with rhythm and sound, she took account of how they were dancing. Their movements were made to mimic… intimate actions. Her palms started to sweat. No wonder Kiba wanted to take me here, she thought with nervous twinge. He had directed her to the bar, where he ordered them some drinks. Alcohol was something she was completely new to, but she knew the less the better. She would rather be seen as prudish for her minimal intake than crazy for not knowing her limit and stumbling around like a drunken whore.

After three drinks, the thought of dancing started to seem appealing. Tenten felt a sort of looseness she had never encountered before, and felt an odd sense of liberation. Kiba had noticed her anxiousness upon arriving, and was waiting rather patiently for her to feel comfortable enough to dance, and she took notice. He's so nice, she thought, looking up at him.

The sudden need to move rushed through her body. Grabbing his hand she led him to the dance floor.

Throwing their bodies in the mix, she felt instinct coming over her. Her hips were swaying, her arms were floating, and his jaw was dropping. Slow and sensual was her weapon of choice, and Kiba stood there a good five seconds before taking a step closer and placing his hands on her waist. Tenten found the music almost as potent as the alcohol, losing herself in its pulsations. She was no longer in control of her body, the music and alcohol fueled her movements. The phrase "being a slave to music" suddenly made sense, as she had no choice but to obey. It was a servitude that was most peculiar, as she had never felt so wild and untamed.

Tenten forgot all about her running session with Lee the day before, and how it had begun with Lee insisting they travel to the Land of Wind and back as their "light" run. She forgot all about how happy she was spending the entire day with Neji buying things she would need. She forgot all about how Neji had told her that even though it was shopping, it was a small price to pay to spend time with her, in regards to her soon-to-be prolonged absence. Tenten forgot about the uncertainty she had when Kiba had asked her to a dancing club, and the devilish looks Sakura kept sending her while they were shopping. Tenten was in the here and now, attention only on Kiba and the music.

His hands traveled her waist, back and hips. His eye bore into hers, and his hips rocked dangerously close to her own. They found a rhythm that was steady and seductive. Tenten couldn't help but be impossibly aroused by the situation; especially with the way his eyes roamed over her body and looked at her with such intensity. She couldn't tell if she was blushing because of the heat of the dance floor or if it as a physical response to his strong sex appeal.

Sakura had found her an outfit that consisted of a sexy mesh bra, exposed under a rather revealing and torn black tee, coupled with shorts that felt more like oversized underwear, and a pair of Sakura's knee-high kunoichi boots. She had stated that they would be both fashionable and comfortable. Apparently, ninja gear was club fashion for civilians, and Tenten had rolled her eyes at this. Sakura also insisted she side-swept her long bangs and tie her hair in a low pony over her shoulder. Tenten absolutely refused to wear make-up, though Sakura said she looked damn good without it.

Hell, if she was going to go clubbing, she might as well do it the right way. Tenten never half-assed anything.

Kiba obviously looked good, he always did. He wore his leather jacket, and a tight black tee underneath, like he did every day. But the atmosphere seemed to heighten her attraction towards him. She was suddenly very curious as to what his body would feel like…

Hands moved from her sides to his chest and arms, admiring the muscles she felt. They made their way to his hips and guided them to a new beat, and his fangs flashed in approval. Tenten moved her head towards his neck, bringing their bodies even closer together. She took in his scent, which was a brilliant combination of sweat and masculinity, and she wanted to drool over it. Their bodies were practically grinding now, and she could feel his arousal press into her. Had she not been inebriated, she would have immediately backed away.

But his erection was flattering. She had never felt sexier, and he had proved just how alluring she was. Needing to show her appreciation of everything he's done for her, and for his body, she trailed her nose up his neck and along his jaw. Kiba's body responded in surprise, but he didn't move, he wanted her to kiss him. Nose pressed at his chin, she met his eyes. Lowering his head in response, still waiting for her, he met her eyes once more before he felt her lips.

But he never felt her lips. Kiba dazedly opened his eyes to see a confused, and almost frightened, Tenten staring back at him. "Tenten…?" Before he could ask her what the matter was, she turned and ran, navigating herself through the jumbled mass of bodies with her ninja reflexes and kunoichi grace.

He called after her, but she didn't look back. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the heat from dancing in close quarters that had caused her to hallucinate, but nonetheless, it shook her. When he looked down at her, right as she was about to kiss him, she didn't see his wild, predator-like slits. She saw a different pair of eyes. Pearly eyes. Eyes that she wanted desperately to look at her the way Kiba had looked at her all night.

As she reached the street, she found the approaching summer air to be significantly cooler than the confines of the club. She found it to be sobering, although she did maintain a slight dizziness in her vision. Ok, maybe she wasn't just tipsy, but she wasn't completely smashed either. Finding a bench nearby, she plopped herself onto it and wiped the sweat from her hairline. How long had she been dancing, exactly?

"Tenten!" Kiba ran up to her, just as sweaty as she was, and just as confused. "Are you… are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she lied. Fine what she wanted to be. Maybe if she said she was, willed it to happen, then she would be. She waited. No, still not fine. Damn.

Kiba sported a look that was foreign to his face. It was one of uncertainty and guilt. "Did I do something? I mean, I was waiting for you… I wouldn't ever… you know, force anything… " He trailed off. Immediately, she felt ashamed. It was definitely her, and not him, but that line was too lame to say aloud.

Tenten decided the half-truth was better than nothing, and looked up at him with eyes that pleaded him to understand. "It isn't you, Kiba, you're… you're great, really." He smiled and sat down next to her on the bench. "But the reality of it is that I'm leaving for a very, very long time… in just two days. I don't want to leave things unfinished, so I just have to stop them from beginning in the first place." Smiling weakly, she could see the disappointment take over the guilt and uncertainty on his face.

"I understand. Damn…" He said, shaking his head and looking down the street. Tenten laughed lightly. "What's so funny," he asked, with his fangs gleaming temptingly in the street lights.

"You're upset. Over me. Well, over not being able to have me. That's…" She started laughing harder, alcohol still effecting her system, "that's so funny! It's absolutely absurd!" Overcome with laughter, she was gripping her sides and doubling over herself.

All Kiba could do was stare blankly at her. "You really are a light-weight, aren't you?" He said with a disbelieving turn of his head.

"But…but you like me! That's so…so funny!" Tenten was starting to come down from her laughing high and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Enlighten me, how exactly is that so funny? What's wrong with me?" Kiba was starting to think she was laughing at him, and it brought his spirits down a great deal.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing's wrong with you, it's just… I've never been, well, wanted before. I just… it was just funny," she said, ending with a soft laugh.

"You have got to be kidding me, Ten." She blushed at the nickname, he was speaking to her intimately now, and his tone was more severe. "You're an amazing ninja, and… great to be around. Tenten, you're sexy as hell," he said, eyes practically devouring her as he gave her a once-over," and I've never met a girl with your type of spunk before. Actually, I've never really met a girl like you before, period. I guess you could say I've always had a little thing for you. It was only recently that I decided to do something about it. And when you told me you were leaving… I don't know, I guess I wanted to try and get to know you best I could before you left."

She was speechless. Kiba, for once, explained his feelings and attraction to her. Tenten didn't know how to respond except with a look of utter shock and a fierce blush on her cheeks.

"What," he laughed, "no one's ever told you that you're amazing before?"

She looked away, not liking the emotions raging within her. No, no one has ever talked to her the way he had just now. Kiba noticed her expression change to one of sadness, and it hurt when he realized that no one had in fact told her how wonderful she was. Even though Kiba had known her on such a personal level for a few days, he could feel the bond between them was rather strong. He lifted a hand to her cheek and grazed his thumb against her heated face. "You should be told that every day." In his voice was something she had yet to hear from him, a mixture of intimacy and compassion. It gave her shivers, and she could've kissed him right then and there.

But she had that hallucination again. His white eyes.

Wait, no, it was no hallucination. Neji was walking towards them, trailed by Hinata and Naruto. Often. he had to accompany them on their dates, and he completely despised it, but did so out of respect for his uncle. She knew he still felt guilty for what he did to Hinata during the chuunin exams, but over the years they had become more like siblings.

His eyes were livid at the sight before him.

All Neji could see was Kiba's hand on her cheek and a look of displeasure in her features. The whole scene made his insides boil. The mut was touching her, and she was unhappy. That was all the information he needed.

"Is there a problem here?" He tried to sound as civil as possible, but it still came out in a growl. He had silently promised Tenten to get over their friendship. But Kiba obviously didn't want friendship, so did the promise still hold? Neji didn't care.

"What? No, we were just talking, is all. Possibly about to get some ice cream?" she asked, looking at Kiba briefly before turning her attention back to Neji. "I would love some right now! Do you guys want to join?" Tenten's demeanor changed at once to that of someone extremely happy. And what exactly was she wearing? And had she changed her hair? Not that Neji minded, at all, but why was she wearing it in _Kiba's_ presence?

"We'd love to join!" Naruto exclaimed, "We just came back from a play, it was kind of lame, but Hinata liked it, so it was worth it!" Hinata giggled as he poked her in the side. Neji's attention was focused on the two in front of him, anger still evident in his body language.

This was not overlooked by Kiba. "Problem, Neji?"

"Not at all." He couldn't look at him without wanting to punch him in the face, so he looked at Tenten instead. It was then he took into account how flushed and sweaty she appeared, her eyes somewhat lazy with exhaustion. Even without trying, she turned him on. Quickly changing the subject, he asked, "Where do you propose we go?"

"Well, there's always the convenient store," she said, rising from the bench. Losing her balance quickly, she stumbled forward. Kiba caught her, and she held onto his arm, leaning into him, and giggled.

Realization hit him like a pile of bricks. "You got her drunk?" Neji asked, anger barely in check. He now understood that the look in her eyes was one of intoxication. Oh yeah, Neji was going to kill him. He was going to be assigned captain of a mission, request Kiba on his team, and blame his death on a rouge-nin. It was brilliant.

"I'm tipsy Neji, not drunk. And don't be so mad! We went dancing, I actually had a lot of fun," she said, locking eyes with Kiba and smiling knowingly.

"Anyways, "Naruto interrupted, "there's convenient store two streets over. Let's go already!" He and Hinata led the way, followed by a tipsy Tenten still hanging on Kiba's arm for support, and leaving Neji at the rear to send death glares at every one of Kiba's chakra points.

* * *

><p><strong>SO…? Yay, nay? Tell me what you think! Even if it's bad, I want to hear it! <strong>

***Credit to my friend Robby, who said he needed ninja strength deodorant. What? Why? It would last like ten times longer, so you wouldn't have to reapply in battle! Even ninja practice good hygiene.**

**I know there's a lot of Tenten/Kiba interaction now, but I've got a long way to go! This is first and foremost a Neji/Tenten story! Well, that, and I'm trying to give Tenten all the badassness she deserves, because SOMEONE (…KISHI…) gets a little lazy when it comes to Tenten. And Neji. And Kiba. And you get it…**

**Like I said, I'm posting up a little playlist of songs that helped me with this chapter. I do have a very diverse range of music, and I listen to almost anything. Except country. (Except Josh Turner.)**

**:D**

**Boyz Noize – & Down  
>Nicki Minaj – Did it On'em (don't hate, it has a sick beat)<br>Lykke Li – Dance, Dance, Dance (original inspiration for club scene)  
>Portugal. The Man – Colors<br>Landon Pigg – Great Companion (INSPIRATION FOR FIC! 3)  
>Hot Hot Heat – Running Out of Time<br>Tegan and Sara – Feel it in My Bones  
>Nine Inch Nails – Closer (mhm, Kiba all the way! ;D)<strong>

**And a special thanks to Pandora Radio, for their New Age Solo Piano station! **

**~NEXT CHAPTER~**

**Team Gai finally sets out on their mission, painfully admitting to themselves that it could quite possibly be their last mission as Team Gai. Neji and Tenten are at odds with one another, not wanting to accept that they will be separated, while Lee continues bouncing along as youthful and oblivious as ever!**


	5. Chapter 5

**OMG AN UPDATE! Sorry guize, I moved out, after about a week's notice, and you can only imagine all the time I had to write! Which was none, of course. You can blame my old landlord :) BUT after a lot, and I mean a LOT of work, I was able to get back to writing. And boy, did I have stuff to write! Days of pent up emotion came gushing out through my fingertips, typing sentence after sentence until I thought WOW, THIS SUCKS. So I rewrote it. Then writer's block. Then one day I said FUCK YOU BLOCK and just started typing before I was like WOW THIS ACTUALLY SOUNDS GOOD. I AM USING A LOT OF CAPS. Anyways, thank you to aaallllllll my reviews! I love every one of them and read them when I feel discouraged :3 Not that I would ever, ever leave a story unfinished. No matter how long it takes, it will happen! AND ALMOST 2,000 HITS! Ya'll makin me swooooon~**

**I have to say that writing this has given me a guilty pleasure to TentenKiba… but this is, and I will forever be, a NejiTenten!**

**FYI: I did post the right chapter. It might be a little confusing at first, but I like the way I set this chapter up, it's different. If you didn't like it, feel free to critique! This IS shorter than my others, but it's better than nothing! Oh, and this chapter is where the M rating comes in… tee hee hee…**

* * *

><p><em>Flashes of hair. Loose and dangling, tickling his chest. Soft hands on his stomach. In his hair. Tangled in the sheets. Sensual. Deep brown orbs glazed with arousal. She rose and fell into his lap with an excruciating slowness. He couldn't stand it. Grabbing her hips, thrusting himself into her, demanding more. Passionate. Growling, she bit his lip in disapproval. She ripped his hands from her hips to her breasts. Tightened her thighs around his, limiting his movements. Her show, her way. Irritation grew. Flipping her over resulted in failure. Held down by his collarbone, she rode him even slower. Ravenous. She moaned. Giggled. Sighed. Such beautiful, exquisite torture.<em>

_Tenten…_

Neji awoke with a start. This was the second time in three nights that he had experienced extremely inappropriate, though highly pleasant, dream about Tenten. Although they were perfectly fine locked away in his head, he found that the dreams had manifested themselves into a… physical dilemma.

He was also unhappy that his subconscious found dominance to be erotic.

Looking over at Tenten's sleeping form and Lee's forlorn blanket, he concluded it was Lee's turn to stand lookout. Activating his Byakugan, he saw Lee doing one handed push-ups about 50 meters to the north. It was good enough for him. Knowing the kunoichi was a light sleeper on missions, he tiptoed away from her presence and out to the clearing, about 80 meters south of their position.

When the hormone-fueled shinobi arrived at his destination, he forced himself to sink into a tree, sliding down to the ground. He was not proud about what he was going to do next, but he didn't have a choice. Sure, he could gentle fist himself and eliminate the problem, but he found himself on the ground almost in tears the last time he performed that. After all, it was only logical to take the pleasurable exit over the unbearably painful one. And meditating, well, that took way too long. He needed immediate relief.

With some disgust for himself — because Hyuga Neji did_ not_ do these things, and because he was on a damn _mission_ —he took his throbbing appendage out of its restraints and into his hand. The sensations he provided himself were calming and somewhat electrifying at the same time. His mind began to drift back two days ago, to the event that had enticed these dreams.

_Lee, Tenten and himself had left for their mission three days ago. Their youthful spandex-clad teammate insisted he treat them to a night at a luxurious hot springs, to commemorate Tenten's training. Though Neji would rather not have the experience of bathing with his rambunctious friend, Tenten was thrilled, so he played along for her happiness. Upon entering the springs, he concluded that it couldn't possibly be that bad. Were lazy soaks in steaming hot water ever bad?_

_Oh, they could be. And so much worse._

_Lee failed to mention it wasn't segregated by gender._

_So when he walked out in his towel to see a steaming pond of naked young women, his mind went blank. Neji stood there, mouth slightly ajar, as Lee stripped himself of the towel and proudly leapt into the water. Leave it to Lee to be unaffected by displays of nudity._

_He tried to avoid the eyes of the women who were staring at him; he knew women considered him attractive, but it didn't make it any less awkward._

_Wait, Neji, awkward? No. Never. Tying his hair at the top of his head, he walked over to where Lee was wading and with his ninja speed, dropped the towel and entered the water._

_Slightly comforted by the heat of the water, he asked, "Lee, you are aware that this is a mixed springs, are you not?"_

"_Well of course!" He exclaimed incredulously, "Why do you think I chose it? This way, we can spend time with our dearest Tenten!"_

_Neji choked on air. Dear fucking Kami, Tenten…_

_Why wasn't that the first thing to cross his mind when he realized it was a mixed spring?_

_She would be naked. She would be wet. She would be right next to him._

_Tenten would be naked._

_And wet._

_He wasn't sure if he was supposed to kill Lee or bless him._

_The man had no regard for decency, as he obviously felt comfortable with the idea of being in a state of undress around his female teammate. There was no shame in being nude, but growing up as a Hyuga, one develops high morals. Respect for women was one of these morals. Though he wasn't disgusted with the idea of being in a public bath with nude women, it still affected him on some level. It didn't feel right. Lee was all about youth and blossoming, he probably ran around his house nude. _

_He cringed. That thought was sobering, and Neji surmised that they were all friends who had been through the worst of the worst together, and he shouldn't think of her in any other way than that of a teammate._

_But this was his Tenten._

_And she was standing by the entrance, her face pale._

_Wearing only but a towel and a thick, loose braid over her shoulder, she stared at the bath like it was cursed. She met Neji's eyes and he couldn't read her expression. As she walked towards the two, he noticed her eyes downcast to the floor, her face an excellent shade of red, and her hand tugging at the too-short towel._

_Neji would not be getting out of this bath anytime soon, his heart was pounding viciously in his chest, forcing the blood to one area in particular…_

_Tenten was nervous, that much was obvious. When Tenten was nervous, Neji was always determined to ease her frantic thoughts. But now that she was standing in front of him, seconds away from being exposed in all her glory, he only wanted to ease her frantic thoughts one way and one way only._

_He thought he saw her mouth move, and maybe some words were spoken, but he wasn't sure. Neji now understood what Gai meant by the overwhelming power of blossoming youth._

_Lee elbowed him harshly in the side, and he turned to see him facing away from Tenten and towards the wall._

_A moment of clarity arrived and he closed his eyes and he looked away, because despite his own feelings, he would hate it if Tenten was uncomfortable around him for the entirety of the mission. After all, his remaining time with her was limited…_

_When she finally entered the pool, Neji did his gentlemanly best to keep his eyes focused on her face, and her face alone. It was an uphill battle, to say the least. He felt as if his Byakugan was mocking him. Having all-seeing eyes just felt like a burden when you couldn't get a simple peek of the woman you were in love with, who happened to be bare-ass naked three feet in front of you._

_Lee helped to break the tension and keep up friendly chit chat, as the majority of the conversing was held between himself and Tenten. When asked for his opinion or input, Neji would respond quickly, and then continue leaning his head against the wall, pretending to be resting. You could say he was meditating, or directing his chakra flow to anyplace other than his manhood._

_The whole experience had been a testament to his will and Tenten's honor, and he felt that later, when looking back on this, he would be proud of himself. For that moment, however, Neji decided he was going to kill Lee._

After a good ten minutes of recalling his memory to speed up the process, he felt results. Biting his lip to stifle his moans, he spilled his seed on the forest floor and hastily left for the campsite with a bit of shame in his step.

* * *

><p>Tenten awoke to the sound of water and the clank of utensils. Peeling her eyes open she found Neji heating some water and washing his hands with it. The fire was low and dwindling, and she noticed that the sun wasn't fully up yet, as the sky was painted in pinks and purples. She stretched, saw that Lee was still on duty, and concluded that it had to be around six o'clock.<p>

"Good morning," she greeted cheerily. A while back she had decided it would be better to maintain a positive demeanor on her last mission with her friends. After saying her goodbyes to everyone else, she knew her eventual goodbyes to Lee and Neji were going to be the hardest, so she might as well keep the spirits up while they were still together.

Neji asked her if she would like any breakfast, as he would start cooking soon. She smiled as a response, because she absolutely loved it when Neji cooked. Thoughts of Neji in a kitchen wearing an apron flashed through her mind before she quickly banished them away. Far away.

Ever since they came from the hot spring, she couldn't get that one image out of her head. A naked Neji, hair tied up, arms and chest glistening with hot spring water and sweat… Well, more specifically, the look on his face when he saw her in that rag of a towel. What the hell kind of hot springs recommends that you bring your own robe?

But that look he had, it was like he was confused. It looked as though Neji was both elated and terrified, which together birthed an expression that said 'I don't know what to feel'. She had no idea what to make of such a reaction, but nonetheless, it didn't make her feel any more uncomfortable.

With just Lee there, it would have been ok. They had a simple relationship, which helped to steady her in that most ludicrous of circumstances. But because Neji was the butter to her morning toast, she felt like her skin was on fire; from both embarrassment and arousal.

Luckily enough, she was able to blame the heat in her cheeks on the water.

Still, his expression is something she surely would never forget. Or understand, for that matter…

Tenten hadn't known how involved in her thoughts she was until Neji poked her with the utensil. With now-focused eyes she saw him kneeling expectantly with a plate of food in his hand, perplexed features waiting for an explanation. He left her no room for response however, as he gently pushed the plate towards her and flashed her a rare, and utterly dazzling smile, his usually stoic, pearly eyes showing comfort and reassurance.

"You're going to do great, don't worry."

Her jaw dropped on a dime. Today. It was today. They would be arriving to Ishi-sensei's village. Today. It seemed as though all the oxygen, in every cell within her body, had evaporated. Light-headedness kicked in, and she became keenly aware of her breakfast and its gag-inducing aroma. Tenten had been procrastination this dread for far too long, and all her insecurities, fears, apprehensions and horrible what-if situations burst forth to the front of her mind. Overwhelmed and visibly pale, she mumbled something about needing to pee, and left her worried teammate with haste.

The light jog through the forest was keeping her breathing even. These occurrences of light-headedness and faint-like symptoms were not acceptable for a shinobi. Ever since she had been told of her training, her emotions have gone haywire, affecting her reactions and decisions. Ninjas didn't have emotions, basic rule. Well, of course you had emotions, but the trick was to keep them in check. One can't control the body without first controlling the mind. Needing a way to calm herself, she thought of her options.

One, she could continue jogging. Jogging with Lee proved excellent at clearing her mind. But she needed to save up her strength for the journey ahead, and for the "test" she was to partake in. Anxiety gripped at her chest painfully and she shook her head. Scratch option one. Two, she could spar with Neji. Nothing ever calmed her down like attempting to beat the shit out of the man who didn't return her feelings. Like option one, however, it required physical exertion. Scratch option two.

What else? She stopped near a tree and took in her surroundings for a bit, grateful that she knew where she was. Jogging was out, sparring with Neji was out, needed little to no movement… Neji… not moving… Neji meditating… Neji not moving while he was meditating…

Before she could think, her body made the decision for her and plopped her conflicted butt right on the ground. It's worth a shot, she thought. Tenten quickly scanned the area for any unidentifiable chakra before deeming it safe to drop her guard.

Clearing her mind and breathing in the wonderful forest air, taking in the soft swaying of the trees and the occasional sounds of animal life, Tenten finally felt at ease. Sorting through her thoughts and filing them accordingly into the different sections of her mind, she thought about the thing she needed most. Strength. Before she knew it, her mind drifted back to the day she left her home, Konoha…

"_I didn't have a send-off party when I went to train! Why does Tenten have one?" Naruto whined. An annoyed and teary-eyed Sakura didn't even bother hitting him. There was a certain frailness when she spoke, and it half startled him._

"_You were annoying back then, Naruto, people were a little happy to see you leave. But throughout these years Tenten has proved to be both a superb kunoichi and friend. It's only natural that people want to see her off on her super-long-and-dangerous-mission!" A tear slid down her cheek and she didn't bother to wipe it away. There was always a possibility that this would be the last time she would see one of her closest friends._

_Too overcome by Sakura's words, Tenten stood her ground, lost for words. She, too, had become teary eyed when she walked to the gates just five minutes ago to see her friends waiting to give her a proper good-bye._

_Sakura and Naruto, Hinata, Ino and Shikamaru, Shino, Chouji, and of course Kiba and Akamaru. Even Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. It was expected for Neji and Lee to be there, as they were accompanying her, but placed together with everyone else made for a scene that really pulled at her heart strings._

_Ino and Hinata displayed small, sad smiles as they hugged her and wished her good fortune. Shikamaru, Chouji and Shino all gave responses that had something to do with showing others how Konoha kunoichi kicked ass, to which she replied with a wink and a guarantee. Naruto unabashedly proclaimed that the next time they meet, he would be Hokage, and she didn't doubt it for a second. Kakashi gave her a knowing look and nodded. It was completely characteristic and she knew what he meant by the gesture. She wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't bought the "mission" excuse like everyone else._

_Then that left Kiba. Tenten found herself dreading this good-bye more than she expected, because without her even noticing, she had grown to really like him. If she was staying, she would have given it a shot. But since she wasn't, she dragged her feet towards him._

_She reflected on this past week with him and how he had opened her eyes to everything that Konoha had to offer. Now she found it even more painful to leave the village. And him._

_Kiba's facial tattoos were stretched in a smile, but his eyes told a different story. Akamaru came up whimpering and rubbed his head on her shoulder lovingly. There was tightness in her chest that stung her eyes as she looked at him, and she wanted to laugh. Since when had she become the new Sakura? She needed to keep it brief, maybe a little sarcastic, and say nothing that implied too much emotion. _

"_What's got your panties in a twist?" _

_He laughed, fangs flashing before her as he shook his head. Looking up at her with a gentleness she had not known he possessed, he said, "I'm going to miss that the most. My fiery little dragon…"_

"_I thought I told you to never, ever, say that again," Tenten replied, forcing fake venom into her words. In actuality, she felt like she could've kissed him right then and there. _

"_Oh come on, Ten-chan! I haven't gotten my kiss yet, so I'm still pulling my lines!" He waggled his eyebrows, and she had to laugh. Kiba was still Kiba, even if he was being the sweet one today._

_Glaring her eyes, she replied, "You're full of it." _

_The man in front of her took one long step to close the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. Surprised at first, she quickly relaxed and squeezed him back. Kiba turned his face towards her ear and whispered words that made her knees shake and her breath hitch._

"_Whether you like it or not, I'll be waiting for you."_

_Waiting, for me? He's willing to be with me after… after years of me being gone? Surely there will be some woman who will whisk him away during her absence…_

_Leaving her in somewhat of a daze and without a chance to reply, he winked at her with his trademark grin and walked away towards the village. _

_Dumbfounded, that was the word. That's what she was._

_She barely had anytime to recuperate before Gai was screaming in her ears about blossoming youthful flowers and their eternal beauty of the soul. The sad thing was, this time he had a reason to cry, but poor Tenten had been desensitized to Gai's tears long ago. Nevertheless, she found herself looking up to her sensei with cloudy eyes. This man, this crazy, lunatic, genius of a man, was the closest thing she had to a father. Whether she was happy or sad, well or sick, needed it or not, he was there to help. Though it was true that often the help was exaggerated, that Gai was jumping the gun, or just plain old butting into her life, she imagined that was what a father did. He had taught her on and off the battlefield, and she could not thank him enough. It wasn't until that moment when she thought about how much this man meant to her._

"_Sensei, I—" _

"_Dearest Tenten," he bellowed, this time in his 'speech voice', "I have taught you everything I can. I know, without any doubt, that you will always come out stronger and victorious. But that doesn't keep me from worrying. You are part of my legacy, of Konoha's legacy. I know you will make us proud." Gai then held out his hand, signifying that they were equals, no matter their rank, skill level, gender, what have you. Tenten shook his hand, grip hard and determined, and started at him with utmost reverence._

_Scanning the people around her, she found it to be a little exasperating. Never had she been the center of such attention, and she found it a little unnerving. Coupled with the fact that she was still upset about leaving all her friends and her old life behind, she was well on her way to having some extreme form of early onset homesickness._

_Neji's hand fell to her shoulder, signaling that it was time to leave, and thus saving her from an unfortunate scene of weeping on her part. She blessed him for about the billionth time in her life. Adjusting the huge back pack on her shoulders, she waved one final time before turning around, not looking back._

She had the strength. She was more than capable. Everyone believed in her. Everyone gave their strength to her with their words. She can do this.

No. She _would_ do this.

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><p><strong>So, whadjyathink? Please people, I am open to criticism! But don't be petty. I read a story a week ago that had the most RIDICULOUS criticism review. Seriously, this guy obviously had issues. But things like, "You could use a little bit of this here," or something, that helps! <strong>

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

**Tenten talks with the man that could forever change her life, her destiny. Wait, is it Ishi or Neji? DUNDUNDUUUUUN**


	6. Chapter 6

**I DON'T OWN A DARN THING, save from the plot and the dialogue. Character cred goes to the creator.**

**I'm a funny writer. I'll start one chapter, get bored, and start the next one, or the one after that. Needless to say, before I completed this chapter, I halfway finished chapter seven and completed chapter eight! Expect them soon.**

**AND I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU GUYS! Seriously, when I feel uninspired to write, I read my reviews and think, "Hey, people actually like my story. I can't disappoint! I must write!" I love that I'm not the only one who loves it ;3 And if you don't love it, or don't like the direction it is taking, then you can tell me! Not that I'm going to change anything, necessarily, but I like constructive criticism!**

**AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T KNOW, I now have two other fics, both oneshots. One is Neji/Tenten and the other is one-sided cannon Sasuke/Sakura. If you would like to check them out, knock yourself out! :)**

**It's another long one, so ENJOY!**

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><p>They were walking to the village in a silence they had not seen since their genin days. Although Tenten had seemed to regain a sense of confidence, Neji knew her, and knew that she was lying to herself. But that's what she did. Tenten would be optimistic to the point where it could be unhealthy, all to avoid feelings of nervousness and anxiety. Normally Neji would have to decency to point it out, help her to face whatever ailed her, but he felt this was one instance where she had to do it on her own.<p>

At once, Neji began to think of all the things Tenten would have to do without him, and his mood darkened.

Not to say that she wasn't an excellent kunoichi, completely capable of handling herself in any situation, but over the years he had seen the cracks in her persona, and felt the need to fill them. Just as she had filled his cracks.

He suddenly felt his feet turn to lead.

This wasn't even the day where he was saying goodbye to her, and he was already slipping into a depression. To the untrained eye, one couldn't differentiate a depressed Neji from a normal one. Hopefully Tenten wouldn't pick up on it.

No, the real trouble was Lee. Neji glanced to his left to observe his teammate, only to find him in contented silence. If there was one person in all of creation who had to speak everything they thought, it had to be Lee. The poor taijutsu specialist didn't understand the concept of "the elephant in the room" and was often lacking in interpretation skills. He was the only man to ever ask him if he was satisfied with the size of his manhood, and later, why it was wrong to ask in the first place.

The Hyuuga prodigy would never admit that his teammate had a bit more girth than he did. It was a wonder how he was able to conceal something like that, in a green jumpsuit of all things.

Lee was most likely to let something slip. He was proving to be less socially inept, and for that, Neji held onto a little bit of faith.

It wasn't soon before they saw smoke rising from the trees, indicating signs of civilization. The slight change in Tenten's chakra didn't go unnoticed, either. He wanted to console her, but knew he shouldn't. She needed to get used to the fact that he wouldn't be there to give her his rare words of encouragement. And sadly, so did he.

Their footsteps kept up in a syncopated rhythm towards the village, and towards Tenten's prospective sensei. Over the week, his mind would wander to the test that Ishi said she was to take. It didn't take long for him to find the answer; he was a genius after all. The man said she was to take, well, more of an assessment, to fully understand what he could teach her. He made a point of saying it would not be based on skill level or abilities. Also, remembering the lecture from the Hokage, the full extent of his abilities included earth manipulation jutsus, many of which he created himself. These facts revealed a simple conclusion: chakra paper.

If Tenten's chakra had an affinity to earth, then this pairing was most definitely fated. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He wanted to tell Tenten she shouldn't be worried, that all she had to do was hold a piece of paper which had a twenty percent chance of giving her the future she most desperately wanted, but the more he thought about that, the more it seemed it would only heighten her anxiety. She had absolutely no control over the outcome, she either had it or she didn't.

Furthermore, judging from the letter, this Ishi man seemed respectable and humble enough for Neji to feel comfortable giving her away to. Not that he was comfortable in the first place, knowing he wouldn't be in contact with her for three – and who knows, maybe even seven? – years. He tried not to look at her at that moment. Truth be told, he had tried his hardest to avoid looking at her. Neji kept finding things rise to his attention.

Like her habit of forgetting where she put her favorite kunai. Neji never had to activate his Byakugan to know where it was. And the way she would slightly wince her eyes when she didn't fully comprehend something. Neji would always provide an answer, even if she didn't ask a question. Even the way her voice would slightly raise pitch when she was lying. Neji would always stare her down until he got the truth.

And it was a two way street.

He couldn't remember the last time he cleaned or sharpened his weapons himself, because she always insisted she do it. Every time there was an unfortunate conversation with the clan leaders, he would feel his curse seal itch, and the moment he went to scratch it, Tenten would ask what the matter was. Whenever they were in battle, Tenten would keep one eye on herself and one eye on his blindspot. She could no longer do that. Or any of the little things that made their relationship the way it was.

Neji knew he had to stop. All this emotion was useless. A future with Tenten was impossible, and it was foolish to dwell on feelings that made him yearn for one. Despite what the population of Konoha thought, Neji did not like brooding.

The white-eyed jounin came to a sudden and almost brilliant idea. When it was time to say their parting words, Neji would do so as if it were the last time he would see her. Though he had no doubt that they would meet up again down the road, he had to make himself believe it. He had to leave every feeling of love he had for Tenten, with Tenten. Alone, up in the mountains. It was irrational and weakening, and it must be disposed of, so that when she did return, he could continue on as if nothing had happened; as if the love of his life hadn't left for three years to return again and stir up unresolved feelings. No, he would resolve them, and the sooner the better.

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><p>Tenten tried not to let her mind race as her feet took her closer and closer down a most ominous path. Path of life, that is. She knew her heart rate was up, and that the faint churning in her stomach was acute nausea. Trying to push all of it aside, she focused on something simple, like her footing.<p>

Left, right, left, right, test, left, right, uncertainty, right, left, right, first impression, left, right, left, right, probably the most important day she'll ever have in determining her future as a shinobi… Damn! She let out a small and shaky breath, hoping it went unnoticed by Neji. He for sure would say something if he thought she was nervous. It was one of the things she was going to miss.

As if she could be any more torn by her emotions! On one hand, she had the opportunity to expand her abilities and become the best shinobi she could ever dream to be, and on the other, she was leaving her closest friend and first love. A love which had only been doomed since the moment it was conceived…

Ok, so her emotions were completely ridiculous! She was a woman, she was allowed! But it didn't make it any easier.

Life without Neji was just incomprehensible. Tenten could hardly remember her life before the academy, before being placed next to Neji in class. Days had consisted of reading books on ninjas and weapons, sneaking near the training grounds to watch the older kids practice, making and throwing crude weapons from sticks and old cans. Come to think of it, she couldn't recall a time where she didn't want to be a kunoichi.

To her relief, Lee began talking to her about simple things, just this and that. But it did wonders for her nerves. Lee was being a good friend, and he wasn't even trying. She loved that about him. They continued on like that, with alternating moments of chit chat and silence.

She suddenly sensed her comrades' movements come to a halt. When Tenten looked up, her mind went blank. Right there, above them all, was the entrance to the village. Just beyond, she could see a quaint community bustling with late morning activities. They were simple townsfolk, going about their lives without complications, able to live free from the shadows of violence and warfare. The sudden thought of living and growing up in a town like this presented itself, and it was totally laughable. It was so… boring…

Neji and Lee eyed their female teammate warily, waiting for her to make the first move. This was after all, her mission.

Five seconds into the initial shock of the realization that the key to her future was nearly within her grasp, she took a deep breath and passed under the threshold. It wasn't hard to find the market, as it was a relatively small village. Tenten knew what she had to do, but all she could muster at the moment was walking. Any activity that required a higher level of brain function seemed out of the question. Her nerves were nearly fried with anticipation, and she wanted to laugh at how absurd it all was.

She could stand in the face of imminent death for the sake of Konoha, without a single hesitation. Brutalized men covered in blood and immorality, wielding fierce arsenals of the most unimaginable kind, did not scare Tenten. An old man who offered her the life and skills she wanted, however, had her mind turned to mush.

What the hell was up with that?

After a few minutes of walking around the town, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Lee staring back with a look that could only be described as one of reassurance. Kami, she would miss him. Neji was busy surveying the crowd with his Byakugan, making sure nothing looked out of place. Their primary mission was to escort the man across the Fire Country, and although he had been living reclusively for some time now, another kidnapping was entirely probable.

Before Tenten had a chance to ask, a rather gruff man presented himself in front of her. This man had a good foot and two hundred pounds on her, complete with a scruffy beard and a rather poor attempt at finding clothes that were clean. In order to make the girl before him intimidated, he threw his hand out towards Tenten roughly.

"I am Masao, and I'm the leader of this here establishment! What can I do for you… _Leaf ninja_?" There was a connotation to the term "Leaf ninja" and the gleam in his eye said he didn't approve of their profession. Most small villages didn't. Tenten had half the mind to point out that Leaf ninja saved their asses time and time again from being eaten alive by other, more dastardly, countries. What arrogance…

With a force he was not expecting, she took his hand in hers and shook it sternly. Needless to say, the man was taken aback. This woman didn't play games.

"Hello, Masao, my name is Tenten. You're just the man I was looking for," she said with a mischievous smirk.

He immediately looked her up and down, and glanced back at her teammates. Distrust was obvious in his gaze.

"Oh, and why is that, little lady?"

Tenten blinked slowly, ignoring the comment, and when her eyes reopened, she stared back with purpose.

"We're looking for a man named Shinichiro Ishihara. Surely, being the _leader of this establishment_, you know where he resides."

The man crossed his arms.

"What's your business with him?" He asked cautiously.

It took all of Neji's willpower not to sigh. This goat of a man was most likely in his position because of his stature, not for his intelligence. Villages like these preferred the strong men in charge rather than the political ones. The jounin took a step forward. He knew exactly how to handle these types of people.

"This is a classified matter, Masao-san." Showing respect: check.

"We have orders from our Hokage to contact this man." Power card: check.

"I assure you that this will not bring any harm or distress to your people while we are here." Reassurance: check.

"If you could kindly send us in the direction of his home?" Asking again nicely: check.

After giving them one more once-over, the burly man squinted his eyes and pointed to the southern end of the village. "He lives in a hut, just past the temple. Just follow the road. You'll know when you see it." Bingo.

Neji gave him a courtesy nod which went unreturned by Masao, who eyed them with trepidation as they walked away. Tenten shook her head. She loved Neji for being able to get an answer fast and simple, but was always enraged when she was unable to because she just so happened to be born with a vagina. _Men_, she thought with disgust. One would think after all this time in a male dominated career, she would get used to it. No. It still pissed her off, every time. Not that she would be unable to get an answer, but it wouldn't be fast or simple, and would most likely end with bloodshed.

Three minutes passed before they came to the temple. Simple in design, but ornate enough to be considered a holy place, Tenten felt her heart quicken its pace. She was closer, yet. Stealing a glance towards Neji, he nodded and activated his technique. After three short seconds, he motioned further down the road, and they continued in silence.

It wasn't long until they spotted the small hut, nestled on the edge of the forest. Tiny, round, and almost nondescript: ideal for an old man living alone and under the radar.

Lee was the first one to speak. "I think I am just as excited as you are, dearest Tenten! To meet a man with such a reputation is truly an honor!"

"Now, there, I don't like being held in such high regards by strangers!"

The whole of Team Ten nearly jumped. Somehow, the man they were looking for ended up right behind them undetected, startling them when he spoke. Ishi was an old man, looking to be about sixty. Scars on his arms and a deep tan said that he was a hard worker, and the lines on his face revealed that he had frowned about as many times as he had smiled. With an average stature, one would label him as a simple countryman.

But there were certain things to look for when discerning a trained ninja from an ordinary citizen, such as a person's gait, how their eyes linger on details, and the way they held themselves. From these observations, the man was clearly a retired ninja.

All in all, though, he looked frail. His muscle build had greatly deteriorated and his eyes seemed somewhat hollow. He was a man with a story, one that Tenten desperately wanted to hear. Shinichiro Ishihara was a shell of the man he used to be, but something told her there was much more to him that met her eyes. Much more.

Tenten did her best to make a good first impression. She knew that she needed to be well-grounded and direct, and most importantly, introduce herself with confidence.

Although her mouth was open, nothing came out. A moment passed before Ishi took the opportunity to talk, and Tenten experienced an urge to fling herself into a volcano. The chance was there, and she let it fly. Great, she was already screwing up!

"I'm sure you all know who I am. You must be Rock Lee," he said, bowing first to Lee, "and you, with the white eyes, have to be the Hyuga lad." The older man bowed gently to Neji as well. "I've heard great things about your skills, and of your clan, as well."

Her teammates bowed in return, respectfully.

"And of course," he started, walking closer to Tenten with his arm stretched out, "you are Tenten. I cannot explain how gracious I am that you are here." His smile was huge, and there was now a life in his eyes that had not been there before. Had she done that?

She was at loss for words. Instead, she decided to communicate with an ecstatic grin in return. The girl shook her head to clear her thoughts and get some words out. "No! Me! I'm the one who is gracious. And grateful! Very grateful!" She nodded with fervor as he smiled at her sincerity.

"That's what I like to hear! Come! I'd rather not wait another moment, the suspense is killing me," Ishi exclaimed as he pushed past them and motioned for them to follow. He may have been sixty, but he seemed to possess the heart and energy of a thirty year old.

Tenten's mind went blank again before she felt Lee tugging at her arm. This was it. Her moment of truth. Was it really happening? Should she pinch herself? What would she have to do, have to prove?

Was it all going down right behind that flimsy wooden wall?

She had no time to think as they dropped their gear at the door and sat at the table. Neji and Lee sat on either side of her, and for that, she could not thank them enough. The girl couldn't get a simple thought processed at the moment, and she loved the support they provided. Lighting was provided by the open door, which was held open by an old sheath. Tenten thought it a little odd. Upon further inspection, she found that the living space mirrored her own, save for the tools and the armor. This loosened her anxiety a great deal. They were not so unalike, her and her prospective teacher.

"What is it that you are so curious to know?" Lee asked, once Ishi settled in his seat opposite them. Unlike Neji, Lee had not read the letter, and knew nothing of the event that was to determine Tenten's ultimate fate. Not that Lee would have figured it out like Neji had.

"I'm glad you asked. I don't believe you know what this is, do you?" The older man reached into his pocket, and revealed a small sheet of paper between his fingers. Neji's assumption had been correct, and his fear had been verified. There was a twenty percent chance of this actually going the way she planned. If not, she could still learn whatever else he was going to teach her, just not everything. It could be compared to the amount of information the main branch received versus the side branch on the Byakugan and the art of Gentle Fist. Although Neji was an exception, being extremely talented for his age, he was technically not allowed to perform half of the techniques he used.

"It just looks like a simple piece of paper. I'm sorry, but I don't understand." Lee responded. Neji remained quiet and all-knowing, while Tenten sat there, as confused as ever.

"Yes, yes, it appears to be simple, doesn't it? But it is much more. Tenten, I would like you to hold this piece of paper between your fingers. When you are ready, expel your chakra from your fingertips into the paper." The old man stared at her with rapture.

Taking the paper from his hand with morbid curiosity, she stared at it and tried to think about what in the world it meant.

Maybe, he was like the old, wizened senseis they depict in comedies, where they make the student catch a fly with chopsticks to prove they are ready for a final task. Or, you know, he could be completely senile. She didn't know. Looking up into Ishi's impatient gaze, he lowered his head, signaling her to continue.

She took breath, closed her eyes, and pushed the chakra into the paper.

Opening her eyes, she saw that absolutely nothing had, wait… what was this? Slowly, from the top, the paper began to disintegrate, leaving a pile of dust in her hands. What had she done? Had she failed? She had to have failed! The basic laws of the universe state that when something is able to completely destroy something else, it is most likely bad.

Ishi's face was blank, not leaving the pile of dust that had fallen into her hand. Lee gasped in shock, obviously dumbfounded, though clearly as clueless as his female comrade. Neji, however, was giving her one of his ultra-rare, wide-mouthed smile. She blinked in confusion at him.

"What?" She shouted, a little too hysterically. What was he smiling for? Was he happy she had failed?

"Tenten, you have an affinity to earth chakra. You'll be able to learn nature manipulation. Congratulations." Neji could only process his excitement for her through his smile, which she knew spoke volumes. What were the chances that she could be so lucky? He knew what this would mean for her and her future. It was everything she could ask for, and it presented itself to her perfectly, without fault. The thought occurred to him that her name meant heaven, and he determined that, as cheesy as it sounded, Tenten was meant to rise into it. Not by death, however, but by legacy.

Ishi rose from the table with a start, shaking the table and yelling, "Drinks on me! We must celebrate!" Lee joined in on the spontaneous jubilee, though they were certain he had no idea what was going on, except that people were really happy.

Tenten's head felt light and airy, only partially able to understand what this meant. For the second time that day, a man held out his hand to her. For the first time, however, the man held it out with respect. "Congratulations Tenten, my new apprentice!"

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><p>The past week had been as exciting as Gai's Super Youthful Supercharged Training Day Bonanza. Which on a scale of one to ten, is a negative three.<p>

First of all, as a mission, it felt like the first mission they had completed as genin. Absolutely nothing had happened. As they had quite literally travelled across the entirety of the fire country, they encountered no trouble. No bandits, no rouge-nin, and definitely no one set out to sabotage their objective. Tenten wanted so badly to do something other than walk. She also wanted an opportunity for her new teacher to witness her in action!

Her teammates were feeling restless as well. Lee had taken up his silly antics of racing, and proving oneself by overcoming crazy, impossible, challenges, and blah blah blah… Neji's vein in his forehead had been visible for three days now, and she was worried that it might never go away, that it had taken permanent residence upon his face.

Ishi-sensei (she could now address him as such!) was a decidedly light packer, bringing only weapons, clothes, a few scrolls, and tools. He claimed to have no need for anything else, and that the only things of value were his weapons and his mind. She seemed to be learning about him through observations rather than conversation. They would chat lightly about different things, making small talk, nothing too serious. Tenten found that although he was kind, he was rather difficult to talk to. She prayed that it was only because of the freshness and suddenness of the relationship and the situation they found themselves in. Maybe, once they really got into the swing of things, living together and training and whatnot, she would get to know who he really was.

Other than the sheer boredom and the awkward tension between her and her new teacher, it was a rather successful mission, by any standards.

She wished she could have a moment alone with Neji, just to talk to him about the reality of their predicament. Not that she wanted to, no, but because she had to. Tenten felt that if she told him how she really felt, then it would be easier to move on and to forget about him. That made sense, right? Get everything out in the open; lay out all the cards so that you can better sort them out.

A week ago, the young kunoichi couldn't manage to greet her new sensei properly. How was she supposed to walk up to Neji and say, "By the way, I've been in love with you for years now. Since we were genin. It's nothing though, really. I'd rather be your close friend than nothing at all, so I've kept my mouth shut. Cowardly and pathetic, I know. I also know you couldn't possibly love me and your family would never accept me. Oh, and between missions, I touch myself at the thought of you. Well, have a safe trip back home!"

Yeah, that was happening.

Glancing over at Neji made her body instantly heat up. The idiot really was too sexy for his own damn good. Tenten knew he had no intentions on starting a family, and it was a total waste of genes. And it was a shame that he never showed anyone his good side, save for herself and Hinata. No one knew just how human he was. With a smug satisfaction, she thought about how she would probably be the only one to understand him. But with sobering realization, she knew that was where her story with him ended. And no one would know of their stories. How tragic…

It all boiled down to what this training would mean to her. If she took Neji out of the equation (all equations, now) then her motivation would come from her own desire to be stronger and her desire to better protect her village. Not to impress anyone, or to receive a certain status or title, and most definitely not to use her skills for corruption or personal gain. From now on, Tenten vowed to serve her people better than she had ever done before. There was no other life for her. And one day, when her time came, she would die a shinobi death, on the battlefield. Starting today until the day she died, her only focus, was being a weapon. This was her will of fire, so to speak.

Holding her head up a little higher and taking her steps with more meaning, she felt empowered.

She felt empowered, that is, until Ishi stopped and said, "Tenten, do you see that mountain? That'll be our home. Possibly even tonight, if we hurry."

That mountain looked awfully far away. "To-tonight?" She stuttered, apprehensive. They were scheduled to arrive in two more days! Had they been walking that long? Staring up at the mountain, she tried to envision herself living there for the next couple of years. Her stomach flipped.

"Yes, tonight. But only if we get a move on! I'm not that old!"

"Your challenge is accepted, Ishihara-sama! Let's make it there by nightfall! Or better yet, let's make it there before dinner!" Tenten couldn't berate him for simply being Lee anymore, because she knew it would be all too soon before she found herself wanting his companionship. Suddenly, she found herself doing what she had never, ever done before.

"Lee!" She screamed in her aggravated tone. The man in question lowered his head, knowing what she meant. Tenten glared back at him with a most dubious grin. "Challenge accepted," she whispered.

Before Ishi could even begin to understand what he had just witnessed, the two ninjas disappeared in a cloud of dust and took to the trees. He stood there, baffled.

"Neji, is she always so… impulsive?" He asked, with hesitation. Surely she had not just accepted the boy's challenge to make it there by late afternoon? "Reaching the mountain by nightfall was just a little motivation, on my part, to keep things moving!"

Neji shook his head gently, the tiniest of smiles on his lips. "There are two things you should know. One, Tenten is never impulsive. She shows great aptitude for thinking things through, and always understands and is ready to face the consequences of whatever decision she makes."

The older man nodded his head, understanding. "I'll just attribute this to last minute bonding, then," he stated, a knowing expression finding its way to his face. "And what is number two?"

"Never underestimate the speed of Team Gai."

* * *

><p>A few hours later Tenten stood at the entrance of their destination, hands on her knees, raggedly forcing air into her lungs. For the life of her, she could not remember the last time she had ever run that far, that fast. A few feet beside her was Lee, in similar, if not slightly better, condition. Sweat dripped down from her bangs unattractively, and she could feel her back was drenched. She tossed her gear on the ground, and once she was cooled down enough, she fell down next to it.<p>

Lee looked over at her, gleaming. "We managed to beat our time by thirty minutes, Tenten! Is that not a great way to arrive? By overcoming yourself through willpower alone?"

Tenten didn't need to think about it. "It is an excellent way," she replied.

All that was left was to wait for Neji and Ishi-sensei. Maybe if the old man could make it through the trees, they'd be there later that night. The sun still had another hour left in the sky. If need be, Neji would use his Byakugan to navigate. If they hurried, they could make it there around midnight.

Leaning against the entrance gate, she thought she might as well get a little rest in before they arrived. She turned her head away from the road and to the village. Few people walked the streets, from what she could tell, and no one had noticed their arrival. The last thing she wanted was another Masao. They would wait by the gate for them to arrive, and then find a nice little inn to spend the night in.

Lee sat next to her, following her example. Her eyes were only closed a few minutes before he decided to speak. "That was the first time you ever went along with me, instead of opposing me. May I ask why?"

Tenten knew what she wanted to say, but couldn't bring herself to say it. She squeezed her eyes closed and bit her lip before she found the strength to say it. "Because… because it could be the last opportunity I have…"

Lee nodded, staring at nothing in particular on the ground. "I know you and Neji find me difficult to deal with sometimes, I'm not an idiot. I know you find me to exaggerate and dramatize things, but it is who I am!" He exclaimed, a proud expression on his face. "But I am also a good friend. And because I am a good friend, and I know you hate it when I cry, I swear to you that I will do my best not to cry when we depart!" When Lee stared at her with his fierce, glossy eyes, Tenten felt like he was seeing through her.

He was being overly dramatic about trying not to be overly dramatic. Only Lee could do that. In a swift second, Tenten's arms were around him, squeezing all her love into him. She downright refused to let him see her teary eyes. "Lee, you be safe, ok?"

She didn't know how long she held him for, but she knew it wasn't long enough.

* * *

><p>As tired as Tenten was, her body was programmed to wake up at the crack of dawn. She took a shower and got dressed; following a routine she'd done dozens of times. This time, however, there was a certain lag in her movements. Attributing it to the intense race she had with Lee yesterday, her arms and legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.<p>

It could be the race, or it could be that in due time she would have to say goodbye to the closest friends she'd ever had.

A clang was heard as the kunai in her hand fell to the floor. She stared at it, unwilling to pick it up. Never had she thought of herself as dependent. Kunoichis were taught not to depend on men for anything, but when the moment came, she thought about her life without Neji and Lee and just how dependent she was on them.

She had known them since before they were genin. Those two had rejoiced with her at her best, helped her at her worst, and protected her, even though she'd berate them afterwards. They hadn't truly been separated for the nine years that they had been together, not even when Neji got promoted to jounin. Of course there were weeks, even months when they were apart, but never _years_.

Tenten wouldn't be there waiting to talk about their missions when they returned, and she had no one to wait for her to spill-all on her latest ass-kicking. Neji's blind spot would be wide open, and there was no one that could put sense into Lee like she could.

No, they weren't just teammates, or even best friends. They were her _family_.

As she opened her door, packed and ready, she ran into something hard. Something that smelled exquisite. Tenten looked up to see pale eyes questioning her. She couldn't help it that a shiver ran down her spine. It was probably only a second or two that they stood in such proximity, but it felt like five minutes.

The chest she ran into breathed softly into hers, and as he bent his head to see her, his hair had made a sort of curtain around her, cocooning her. She inhaled the smell that was pure essence of Neji, and felt the vein in her neck throb. Her hand twitched, as its natural instinct was to grab his head and kiss him like those plush lips should be kissed!

But he took a step back, and coughed nervously.

Wait, Neji? Nervous?

"My apologies, I wasn't sure if this was your room, so I listened to make sure."

She cocked her head at him. "You couldn't have just used your eyes?" Tenten asked, curious.

Neji looked taken aback, "Tenten, that is completely immoral. That would be an invasion of privacy."

"Oh, and listening in on people isn't?" She quipped.

"Hn."

"Don't you 'hn' me, Hyuga! If you were listening so well, then you'd know to move when I opened the door. Or do you need to see Sakura about an ear problem?

All Neji could do was narrow his eyes, that would distract her long enough to come up with a reasonable reply. "You are a ninja, and you move like one. Take it as a compliment." There, she would like that.

She did, and she smiled up at him. It nearly killed him. "Handing out compliments like party favors, I see?"

Neji stuffed his hands in his pockets, and glanced over his shoulder. "Of which party do you speak?" Oh, that sarcasm he got from her.

Grabbing at her shoulder strap awkwardly, she took into account just how heavy her bag was. A sudden thought came to her: if she wasn't wearing it, she could've beaten Lee. She mentally cursed the Gods. There was a buzzing noise she could make out, which she discovered to be the light fixture above their heads. They had reached a silence, and she didn't know how to break it.

Tenten took a deep breath and prepared herself. Now that they were alone, it was the perfect moment.

"Neji, this may come as a shock to you but I…" She trailed off, losing herself in his eyes. Those eyes that anyone would describe as emotionless and void, but she saw so much. The man that he truly was, was in those eyes, which were now staring back at her with unfiltered confusion.

"Yes? Tenten, go on."

Opening her mouth to speak, nothing came out. No words, no audible squeak, no nothing.

She closed her eyes. It would be much, much easier to say it to him if she pretended he wasn't there. Since when had she become so cowardly? Especially in front of _him_?

"I'm sorry, what I mean to say is… that for the long—,"

"Tenten, Neji! What good timing! Ishi-sama and myself were waiting in the lobby, I was going to see if you were awake on this most beautiful of mornings, and it seems you are! Come, I will treat us all to a hearty, energizing breakfast!" And with that, he left in the direction he came.

Screw flinging herself over the mountain, she was flinging Lee! She had it in the bag and he went and destroyed all of her composure! Fuck!

"You were saying," he pressed on, "that for the long…?"

Improv time!

"The… the long... haul, Neji. I'm in this friendship for the long haul, so don't think you'll get rid of me that easily!" With that, she patted his arm and swiftly walked away.

She dearly hoped that sad excuse for a cover-up had worked. Too bad he heard the tone in her voice that alerted him whenever she was lying.

* * *

><p>Tenten had to change into her boots before scaling the mountain. She felt a little wary when her sensei informed her that he had no map, and that he was guiding them on instinct alone. They were on no trail, had seen no known markers they could trace, and were being eaten alive by bugs. Was this what she had to get used to? Would it be like one prolonged camping trip?<p>

That whole morning and early afternoon had been spent climbing, and watching the old man press his ear to the ground so he could "hear the earth". Not that she doubted him, she just didn't understand how that would work. She would ask him one day.

By sunset, Neji had found a large clearing, halfway up the mountain. He said something about a stream a mile away, but she faintly heard him say it. Tenten's mind was exhausted from thinking the whole day about what ifs and could haves. As they settled down to set up camp for the night, she noticed Neji talking to Ishi, and how the combination of the campfire and the sunset helped to create an other-worldly glow on his skin.

She sighed, and thought about how stupid her admission of love was. If he felt anything in return, she would know, she was his best friend for Kami's sake! It was pointless, and the last thing she wanted to do was make it to where when they met up years from now, he would be uncomfortable around her.

No, it was best left unsaid. Tenten was better off getting over him herself.

Tenten had been staring way too long at the campfire when Neji called out to her.

"Hey, Tenten, do you by chance know what today is?"

The day? "Uh, Tuesday?" She guessed.

"Close. It's Wednesday," he replied, grinning knowingly at her.

Wednesday. Her and Neji's official, 100%, anything goes, training day. Surely, he didn't mean…?

Tearing her eyes away from the dancing fire, she took notice of his grin, and felt her stamina rise within her. He wanted a battle, here and now? That is exactly what she needed.

Ishi and Lee started cooking some food when Tenten rose from her position on the ground towards Neji.

"I'm so sorry, did you just voluntarily ask for an ass whooping?"

"I think you've misinterpreted. You see, I haven't had been involved in combat for a solid two weeks. There is a lot of fight in me that needs to be dealt with accordingly. Are you up to the challenge?"

"Challenge? Fighting you is considered a challenge? Since when?"

Neji started walking toward the field, expecting her to follow. She didn't. He yelled from his position. "Since you decided to slack off."

"Slack off? Who's slacking?" She hollered back, skillfully grabbing a single kunai, hurling it all the way across the field at Neji's face in a matter of a second. He deflected it without a second thought.

Apparently, Tenten had forgotten all about her new sensei, and how he was watching with intense concentration. For the entire three hours it lasted.

* * *

><p>The rays of the sun had just shone down in the field in which they were sleeping. The only kunoichi knew it was time to get up, but she didn't want to. She placed her arm over her head and winced. Last night during their spar, Neji had managed to land three hits to her chakra points and she was able to cut him twice, deep enough to where it needed tending too. Not only did it help relieve every ounce of stress she had, she had fight pent up in her too, and it felt like a breath of fresh air to let it out all at once.<p>

Once she realized her teacher witnessed the whole account, she was anxious for his feedback. To her great surprise and utter relief it had been positive, with a few slight criticisms. She supposed they stayed up till midnight, talking about tactics and maneuvers, explaining in detail what she was capable of. It was nice to finally talk to her teacher about such things, to really get the show going.

Lee and Ishi-sensei had tried not getting caught in the crossfire, but to no avail. Neither her nor Neji had actually "won", as they had fallen to a new level of exhaustion together and called it a night. Not that she could've gone on for much longer if she needed to, but she needed to be able to wake up in the morning. It was a big day, after all.

Hearing the ruffling of blankets and earth, she forced herself to find the will to get up. Upon finding it, she stored the rest deep within her being; because she had a feeling she would need it later.

Neji was up and from the looks of it, headed to the spring just a mile from where they were. Ishi had said something about examining their surroundings, and Lee was left to take care of breakfast. She watched him as he added wood to the fire and set up an area for the pot. It was now boiled down to a matter of hours. Minutes, even.

It didn't seem real at all.

By the time Lee had finished cooking, Neji had come back from his bath and Ishi was making his way from across the field. It was a silent understanding that they'd be leaving after breakfast, and with that, Tenten ate the slowest she could.

While they were eating, the group heard a rustling from the trees. Neji activated his Byakugan and stared at the trees while the others stood, ready for the unexpected.

He sighed and deactivated his bloodline limit, returning to his soup. "Only two birds fighting over some food," he stated dispassionately.

Well that was certainly exciting.

As Tenten sat back down and picked up her bowl, she could hear the birds fighting behind her. Before she knew it, they were above her, squawking and flapping in a rage, then one bird flew to her left and the other followed suit. She returned to her bowl all too quickly, because the young woman soon found herself with a lap full of soup after one of the birds decided to fly into her back, causing the other to follow. As a product of hot soup on her person and moronic birds trying to claw at her face, she lept up and screamed at them, flailing her arms until they left her alone.

Not wanting to look at anyone's expressions, she stormed off into the direction of the spring. The soft-treaded footsteps that followed could only be Neji's.

"I would like to clean up on my own, thank you," she grunted as she continued merrily on her way.

"I thought you might like to know where the spring was located, and to have a change of clothes," he indicated.

Tenten stopped abruptly and turned on him. Her bag was situated on his shoulders. Damn him for being right.

"Thanks…" She supposed, walking forward with her arm outstretched, ready to take her bag.

Neji shook his head, "No, I've got this, keep walking." Damn gentleman, she sneered. She knew she could carry her own bag, but she also knew arguing was a fruitless effort.

After a while, Neji spoke, and startled her a little. She didn't remember when he had caught up to her. He asked if her pack was this heavy throughout the whole trip, and she nodded. He asked why she was so upset about the bird incident, she shrugged. He asked about what she really meant to say the other day in the hallway, and she shook her head.

"Wait, what?" They had arrived at the stream, though she barely discerned. Neji had just thrown a curve ball, and it was her third strike. She was out.

"Yesterday, I the hallway, you started to tell me something. After Lee interrupted, you lied. Don't tell me you didn't. Tell me what you really wanted to say." He gave her a most uncomfortable gaze as he dropped her bag to the ground.

To her surprise, Tenten held her composure. She knew exactly what she was going to say, for once, and she did so without any hesitation. Probably because it was the truth.

"That was my sad excuse for a goodbye. A proper goodbye. Well, it wasn't really proper but… Neji…" She paused and tried to string her words together properly. "You're my best friend. I don't know how to say good bye," she admitted.

"Then let me say it."

Tenten reacted with a look of confusion.

"Let me say what I need to say, and then I'll leave. You don't need to say anything," he explained.

The young girl sported a look of uncertainty before slowly nodding her head in approval.

"It will undoubtedly be hard to adapt to life without my teammate…my, well, best friend…." He began. This was one of the few moments in his life where he felt uncomfortable, and it spoke through every muscle in his body. He averted his eyes for a fraction of a second, but it spoke volumes for Tenten. Only once had he been this awkward before.

It was the day he finally mustered up the courage to ask her to eat lunch with him, as a friend. It was shortly after the attack at the chuunin exams and after everything they had gone through, Neji had discovered a certain closeness between them. You could say that it was the day that marked their transition from teammates to friends.

She understood that this was nerve wracking, saying goodbye to someone you knew for almost half your already short life. Tenten could admit, though, that she liked to watch him squirm. It reminded her that deep down, he was no different than the common man.

"But this was meant to happen," he continued, with finality. "You will stay here and hone your skills to that of an exceptional Leaf kunoichi, and I will return and continue serving my village the best way I know how. We are ninja, and we adapt."

Of course Neji would find a way to relate their situation to that of a survival tactic, how completely logical…

"We will adapt to this situation and survive and conquer all that is thrown at us. I know, without any doubt, that you will flourish." Neji took a step closer, just close enough to reach out his hand and ever so gently place it on her cheek. His gaze softened and his voice lowered, as he said, "Please, take care of yourself, Tenten. I'd hate for you to return too changed…"

Removing his hand from her blushed cheek, he gave her a look that had, until now, never existed. A look that he had not intended, and yet was the one that had branded itself onto her brain, the one she would remember the clearest, and play back in her mind in moments of distress or hopelessness. A look that parents gave their children when they sent them off to school, a look Tenten had never been given, not that she could remember. She had been denied a family, and thus denied the gaze in which he presented to her in that moment.

A look of pure, unconditional love that left her both speechless and motionless as Neji turned and walked away from her, almost indefinitely.

* * *

><p>Tenten vaguely recalled bathing in the cool water of the stream, or how she had gotten into her current attire. Nor could she remember how she was able to find her way back to the campsite, it had to be intuition.<p>

Upon further inspection, she found that only Lee and Ishi-sensei remained. Brilliant really, because she didn't know what to do with herself after Neji had left on that note. How was she supposed to respond to that? There was so much that was unsaid in that look, she didn't know what to make of it. There was only one thing that was clear.

In that one stupid, horrible moment Tenten realized that she could never un-love Neji. There would never be a day where she wouldn't wonder, dream, and hope that he was safe. There were no lengths she wouldn't go to, to save him. She was spiritually bound to him, and there was nothing she could do but love and protect her village, as if it was Neji.

Fuck him for making her fall in love with him.

The nearer she got, the more excited Lee got. He said he wouldn't cry, but he didn't have to be happy about it! It wasn't until he said the impossible that she understood.

"Tenten, you wouldn't believe it! Neji has challenged me! First one to the village wins! His Byakugan is no match for my youthful instinct!"

She had to replay that sentence in her mind three times to get the full effect. Maybe Neji had eaten some bad mushrooms, ones that caused symptoms like giving people funny looks and doing things entirely out of character. Yes, she decided, it was the mushrooms. It was a simple enough answer for her brain to comprehend at the current moment.

Returning to his seated position, all the old man could do was shake his head and mumble something along the lines of "youthful bullshit". She was going to like him.

Lee stood there, waiting for her reply, but he got none. Instead, he got yet another embrace from his not-so-fragile lotus blossom.

"No words," she whispered, soft enough for his ears only, "just this."

Once he let go, he placed his hand on her head and denied her request. "Gai-sensei and I will always be proud of you. And be safe, Tenten."

As she watched his retreating form melt into the trees, a stubborn tear found its way to her smiling cheek. She sighed. It only took him nine years to grow up…

* * *

><p><strong>That would be chapter six! Woohoo! Only seven more! I think... I'm still working on it. Anyways, I have my playlist on my rough draft version of this, but I am way too lazy to retrieve it. Maybe next time! AND DOES ANYONE READ THESE AUTHOR NOTES? I always do with other stories, but then again, am I just typing this for myself? Eh, I'll write em anywayz. REVIEW, PREEZ AND CAWWOTS 3~~<strong>

_**CHAPER 7: What kind of training will Tenten undergo? Will it really last three years? Longer? Shorter? And what will we learn about Shinichiro Ishihara? Tune in next time!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so happy to be posting this chapter! This was a fun one to write up! I cannot fully express how much your comments and reviews mean to me… Seriously, I reread them when I'm uninspired, and to know that so many people are enjoying this, really makes me smile!**

**On another note, they postponed this week's episode of Naruto, something about the Japanese baseball games? Anyways, I disappointed to say the least. It's not in the manga, and it's a filler. They just did one on Shino, and I read that later there's also going to be one on Kiba. But this week it was TENTEN! Sigh, I guess I'll just have to wait till Thanksgiving. BTW HAPPY THANKSGIVING YOU GUYS! I am so thankful to everyone who has read, enjoyed, and reviewed this story. I wouldn't have kept it up if I didn't get such positive feedback.**

**AND UNLIKE THE CREATOR OF NARUTO, I will tell you what happens to someone when they go away to train for years at a time… ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>It was a complete surprise to Tenten when Ishi-sensei had declared that the land on which they were currently standing, was theirs. Not five minutes after Lee had left, the old man relayed to her a rough sketch of what the next few weeks would be like.<p>

They needed a home. Tenten was under the belief that there was a humble abode waiting for her further up the mountain. Not the case. Ishi liked to build his own homes, she found out. Great, her first task was to build house? It wasn't that she minded, but she was just so impatient to start her actual training!

Her new sensei had her doing menial work, the kind genin would use in their training. Every morning she had to travel down to the spring, gather up two buckets of water, and bring them back. This was done in upwards of six times. To an average person, this labor would be extremely taxing, but because she was a ninja, it could be compared to an easy morning jog. The rest of the day would consist of cutting wood from the surrounding forest to create a substantial amount of lumber. Being weapons specialists, they breezed through it with much accuracy and incredible strength. Though Ishi's frail frame would give on the impression of a terribly weak old man, he was anything but frail and week.

After two weeks of cutting wood and watching the pile grow larger and larger, her sensei finally declared that they had enough to start building. In the mornings, he would create a home out of the earth, similar to what Yamato did with wood, and use it as a model for their home. It wasn't too big, and contained two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a large basement and outdoor shed to be used as work stations. A wide chimney ran the height of the house that connected with the basement below. Poor Tenten was somewhat put off by the idea of an outhouse and bathing in the river, but he was calling the shots, and she had no option but to follow and accept them.

Another month went by before Tenten and her sensei stood in front of their newly built house, both beaming with accomplishment. Ishi had suggested that they go into town and treat themselves for their effort and hard work. So far their relationship consisted of mostly business. He would tell her what to do, she would ask questions, but they never really ventured into the personal realm. Ishi was not at all an unfriendly man. He was a brilliant, thoughtful and helpful sensei, and she couldn't wait to begin her actual training, but when it came to developing a relationship, she had no idea where to start. I mean, she had to spend the next couple of years in his company, it would be nice to get to know him as an actual human being.

All things had to start off somewhere, right?

* * *

><p>Immediately after the house was built, he had her mining. Ishi instructed her on proper procedure, and gave her a scroll to look at if she forgot. He told her what he was looking for and why, saying it was shown to react strongly to earth based chakra like theirs, and would be no less than perfect for her training. Some days he would supervise her expeditions, and on others he would be sorting through his scrolls.<p>

Unlike any other teachers she's ever come across, this man had a lesson plan. His teachings were scheduled, and would be taught in a particular order for maximum efficiency. Tenten liked that her training would be done in a controlled environment, rather than in the environment you learn in when you're a genin. That was more of a "Let's throw you into this situation and see what you can do!" kind of deal. She rather liked the lower levels of stress and life or death situations. Tenten would be able to take her time to finely tune her abilities. That was a plus.

It wasn't long before Tenten was practically begging for earth manipulation training. To mine for the metal, she would use a series of highly destructive and dangerous explosive tags before manually moving the rocks herself. The work was exhausting and she knew it would be easier to make a couple of hand seals rather than wasting all her chakra lifting heavy boulders. Could it even work that way? She didn't know.

Tenten used picks and shovels, carts and brute strength, as well as copious amounts of pure will and determination. She would return to the house dingy and sore, her gloves barely holding their own. Never once did she complain, however. In her younger years, she was somewhat of a whiner. But after the war, everything changed. Everyone changed. She learned that while being a ninja, it was against morale to whine about injuries or, really, anything at all.

Another two months of this rigorous activity passed before she had obtained enough metal to satisfy her sensei.

* * *

><p>"You're not visualizing!" Ishi bellowed from his position on the cliff. He was situated twenty meters from Tenten, who stood in a small clearing below. Hands were on her knees as she bent over and tried to keep from passing out. They had been out there for hours working on her earth manipulation.<p>

She began to think she was crazy for actually wanting this.

Though she was not ignorant to the fact that nature manipulation was a difficult technique to master, she was annoyed that she couldn't get in touch with the earth at all. Human beings were a part of the universe, the grand design of living things, and by her very construction, she had an affinity to earth. So why was it so hard to grasp ahold of that connection and bend it to her will?

Naruto's training had been done so quickly because of his extreme chakra levels and his unique use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and she held some envy for him. How long would it take before she could get the rock between her hand to break? Three weeks had passed since she had started this portion of her training.

Tenten stared at the hardened earth in her hand. Stupid rock, she thought. When she straightened up to continue her exercise, she felt herself sway. The amounts of chakra she had expelled in the past few hours were making her dizzy, and she could feel sleep weigh down on her like a rock, pun intended. If this was a battle, she would not be thinking about beds or simply passing out on the ground beneath her. No, she would keep moving, keep fighting until she was victorious or killed. Shinobi often fought their best on the brink of death.

This was no different. Tenten got an idea.

She grabbed for a kunai, something that had cut through much flesh in its lifetime. Though until today, it had never been her own flesh. Slowly, she dragged the kunai across her thigh, wincing in pain as she severed her skin.

Ishi stood before her in a heartbeat. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked, looking astonished and somewhat curious about her actions.

Smiling back weakly, she replied, "When I fight during missions, I have a purpose: to defend my village, and protect its people." Tenten panted out. "The human body responds to pain with adrenaline and mental stimulus. A ninja's body, in particular, is trained to associate pain with an increased desire to fight. We know that any pain we feel could be pain our civilians experience if we fail and we fight harder to keep that from happening. My purpose to crack this rock is not as great as protecting lives, and my body knows that. If I trick my body into believing this is a battle, then I'll be able to keep going. In theory…"

Her sensei narrowed his eyes toward her, analyzing her. This was not a look she had seen on his face before, and she didn't know if it was good or bad. It was the first time she felt like a real student being scrutinized by a teacher, and she reveled in the familiarity of that feeling.

"You are forcing your body to continue on with the adrenaline from a self-inflicted injury?"

She nodded, adjusting to the pain and the energy it brought.

His eyes softened a little before saying, "You Konoha ninja really are crazy, you know that?"

Tenten smiled back, bigger this time, feeling the effects of the pain livening her spirit and body. "I'll take that as a compliment for now." Ishi grabbed what looked like a clean tarnishing cloth from his person and handed it to his dedicated pupil to wrap around her wound.

Ten minutes later she saw a hairline fracture develop on the surface of the rock, and she had never been more proud of herself.

* * *

><p>The nature manipulation training was advancing slowly but surely. It had been three more weeks, and though she had yet to completely split the rock in half, her fractures became grooves and her grooves became gashes. Each day she would do better than she had the previous day. She would be stronger than she was yesterday, she thought with a bit of nostalgia. Tenten suddenly wondered what was going on back home…<p>

Tenten had to stop her thoughts before they overcame her. The homesickness she felt was a weakness, and it didn't need to be exploited. Right now, all that existed was here and now. Ishi-sensei and training. This was her home now.

When she was recovering from charka exhaustion, she would study the scrolls he gave her or work on her blacksmithing. Even though it was scorching hot, filled her lungs with horrible, choke, inducing smoke, and made her black with coal, she found blacksmithing her favorite activity so far. It would definitely become a hobby.

There was something to be said about the ability to mold something so strong, to her desire. Or was it the satisfaction of just repeatedly beating the crap out of something? Or could it be the overwhelming feeling of elation she experienced afterwards, like when she held her first self-made kunai in her hand?

So far, over the weeks, she had made five kunai and three large shuriken between her manipulation lessons. It wasn't much, but being new meant she was a lot slower and the whole experience was still foreign to her. Ishi had given her two special scrolls on metal-chakra interaction, hoping she would be able to incorporate it into her work. Tenten wasn't anywhere near that level yet, and she knew it, she just had to keep on practicing.

A month later, Tenten was able to split the rock in her hand. And another rock. And another. Her excitement over her success had her looking for palm sized rocks everywhere, cracking them open with the utmost pleasure. Seeing it as a sign of her development, she thought she would finally try her hand at metal-chakra interaction.

It was somewhat like a medical procedure, as it required precise chakra control as well as controlled variables. She needed to cool the metal once it was infused with her chakra, but only after it had reached a high enough temperature. There was also the difficulty of pushing her chakra into the metal in the first place. Her nature manipulation training would be most beneficial with that.

The metal they were using was tested and proved to work well with those whose chakras are earth based. Most chakra blades are universal, working for anyone's chakra. This metal, though, only reacts to the chakra it has been molded with. Basically, the metal contained fragments of your life force in it, and thus is easier to handle and more destructive. This fact, coupled along with the fact that it works well with earth natured chakras, makes it the ideal tool for them, Ishi explained.

If she were to make a sword infused with her chakra, with this metal, it would be phenomenal. This was her ultimate goal with the metal-chakra technique. In her grasp, it would be unstoppable. But, say an enemy was to take it somehow and strike her with it. One, the sword would only be an ordinary sword in his hands, nowhere near as destructive. Two, any damage taken by Tenten by the sword would be about fifty percent less than expected. It contains her chakra, thus being able to recognize her, and to lessen any damage inflicted. Brilliant, really.

Ironically enough, its strength could be slightly compared to the legendary Kiba swords used by Raiga Kurosuki of the Mist.

Sadly though, Tenten's first attempt was met with the weapon having lousy chakra conductivity. Upon moving, Ishi had been working on his own sword. He was able to slice through a five foot thick boulder, while hers went in about two inches. Laughing at her state of upset, he told her not to worry, and that all she needed was practice.

The next afternoon he found her in the workshop near the house, beating away at a new blade, red hot and pulsating with a bluish glow as Tenten tried to force her chakra into it. He hadn't expected her to try again so soon, it took hours, even a full day, to force the smallest amounts of chakra in the metal. Didn't she have burned knuckles from yesterday's kunai forging incident? It wasn't uncommon for your hands to slip and for you to burn your knuckles, to hit a finger instead, or to get soot in your eyes, but this girl was really pushing it.

He watched her face, contorted into concentration as she fed the scolding metal her chakra before putting it back into the flames again, forcing it to accept it. Tenten's brow was furrowed in determination, and Ishi recalls that he has never seen a girl, no, a woman, so hard working. He had yet to hear her complain or argue with him, and she took every cut, scrape and burn with a smile. There was no one better to be his protégée than her.

Tenten was diligent, stubborn, determined and focused.

Ishi was set in his ways to make this relationship as formal as could be, with focus on studies alone. He had lived well enough in solitary for so long, he found the need for a "_personal_" relationship between himself and his student to be irrelevant.

However, a little kindness could go a long way. He was by no account a mean man. Tomorrow, he would complement her for everything she'd done since their arrival.

Even in the low light of the setting sun, he could see the blood seep through the coal encrusted bandages on her hands. The proud sensei smiled and walked towards the village, intent for medicinal supplies.

* * *

><p>Being renowned as the legendary "Man of a Thousand Swords", Ishi had a highly developed and personal style of swordsmanship. Every day he would ease in lessons to develop her movements, having Tenten go through repeated motions and steps. Some days he would praise her for her current skill level, and others he would shout at her, "Bend your arm, your arm is too stiff!" or "Tenten, look at your leg. Where should it be, hm? Be more aware of your body!"<p>

Often times, she would catch him making jokes about her and demonstrating his preferred style, which would lighten the mood considerably. Ishi's style was fluid, his body going from one form into the next without pause, seeming almost as if it were all one single advance. The very way he interacted with his sword was a language all its own, and when he was concentrated on his motions, Tenten felt as if she were watching an artistic performance. It would be difficult to retrain her movements entirely, so the young woman tried to create a style all her own, incorporating some of her sensei's moves into hers. The end product resulted in a type of swordsmanship that was functional, aesthetically pleasing, and powerful. And it was completely her own.

* * *

><p>A year had passed and there was no significant change in their relationship. Though Ishi was amazingly kind and generous, Tenten knew nothing about him. He showed no effort to want to know her as a person, or to show her that he was one. She began to grow irritated at his lack of indifference.<p>

They had been their sole companions for many months now, and she knew nothing of where he came from, his family, his ordeal with the Wind country, his ambitions, regrets, likes or dislikes. It was at a point where it was just uncomfortable. Who was he? She tried to bring up such topics, but he would change the subject by commenting on some skill she needed to enhance upon.

When it came to earth manipulation jutsus, Tenten was progressing along beautifully. Though it took more out of her than she ever would have thought, both mentally and physically, she was proud of the things she could do. Her old techniques were being converged with her recently attained skills, and she had an idea or two about completely new techniques. It would take time though, and it killed her to be patient. But it was only a small price to pay.

Tenten smiled. She was becoming stronger. Not only did her physical appearance alter, but she could feel herself changing from within. There was a new pride she took in her training, knowing what she could do, and would be able to do. She could only imagine the looks on her friends' faces when they get to see her in action. Would she be promoted to jounin? Dear Kami, she hoped so.

* * *

><p>Fall was right around the corner of the mountain, and she could smell the air change. It smelt crisp and fresh, something Konoha never smelled like. Konoha always smelled warm and welcoming; like home.<p>

A while back she had discovered a small cliff, which had been blocked by a large tree covered in light blue flowers. Overlooking the entire lower half of the mountain, Tenten felt as if she were back home again, standing on the Hokage monument. Wind blew through her coat, and she tightened her arms around her body. As if the forest sensed her nostalgia, it took the leaves and flowers from the tree behind and had them dance above and around her before blowing off the side of the mountain, their fate unknown.

Before she could register it, Tenten found herself crying. Tear after tear strolled down her face silently as she thought of her friends, and wondered about their lives. What would they be doing now? Would they be ok? Was the village safe, were here friends unharmed? She didn't know. Not knowing was the worst part. To downplay the risk of an ambush, her location, status and activities were to be discussed with no one except Tsunade. So far she had received two letters, and answered all her superior's questions before asking her own, though she never once received a response to them. Tenten understood, on some level.

When she returned to her cabin, Ishi was there waiting for her. It suddenly occurred to her that she was supposed to have gotten pork for their dinner, but she had forgotten. Irritation gnawed at her when Ishi noticed her red eyes and the tear marks on her cheeks, but said nothing. No "Are you okay?" or "What's the matter?"

Only, "Where's the pork?"

For the first time since meeting him, she was angry. With narrowed eyes, she opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and clamped it shut. Mumbling something about not being hungry, she rushed towards the basement to work on her blacksmithing, leaving Ishi to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Tenten, let's have a review."<p>

Tenten was nearly livid. For the past couple of months, she had grown to dislike her sensei more and more. She could feel herself hardening from the inside, much like the stone she manipulated. The only companion she had was him. The nearby village was full of flimsy women and weak men attempting to make a pass at her, and she only went for supplies and food, never for recreation. Tenten never had time for recreation.

To put it simply, for the last year and a half, she had been going at full throttle. Giving it her all, all the time, had its consequences. Mental ones. Like stress and a growing resentment to the one causing it.

Sure, he was willingly providing her with all the knowledge that made him legendary, gave her excellent criticism, and even tried to make situations lighter with occasional teasing.

But the fact that he so blatantly expressed no interest in Tenten as her own person infuriated her. He was treating her like one of the weapons in his arsenal. She was merely a vessel for his legacy. Her ambitions, her will of fire, her wants – they all meant nothing to him.

As far as she was concerned, it felt like she had been deprived of actual companionship since she had arrived.

And there was little encouragement. Gai-sensei was always telling them how great they could be and how youthful they were, and to her chagrin she actually craved it.

"Tenten," Ishi addressed, more clearly, "I said it's time for a review."

She knew anger was often a dangerous fuel in battle, but hell, was it useful.

"Earth Release: Earth Shaking Palm!"

This move reminded her of Sakura, because it was almost identical. The only difference was in application. Tenten used a technique to move the earth itself, whereas Sakura used utilized a large amount of chakra expelled at just the right moment.

The ground in front of her quivered and exploded chunks of rock into the air.

Ishi nodded, satisfied, signaling her to move on to the next one.

And so she went on. Technique after technique was performed, and the landscape was beginning to suffer. With every nod of his head, she became angrier, and she didn't know why. She felt like she was in school, being tested like this.

Only then had she realized that it was her birthday. She was twenty three now, and being tested like some pre-genin kid. At least the chuunin exams had proved challenging, and gave her the chance to prove herself. This was insulting!

After performing the Earth Flow Divide technique, she was done. Forgoing all circumstances, she was quite proud of herself with that one. Finding Dragon Veins was extremely difficult, and she was lucky enough to find one so close. Her attitude softened somewhat as she admired her work, but it only lasted a second.

"That technique you've been working on, in secret, perform it now."

Fuck.

His tone was harsh, with the slightest resonance of anger. For the past few months, because of her increasing irritation towards him, she had decided to develop and practice a technique in privacy. Tenten liked how she had one thing that was all her own, and how she didn't have her sensei over her shoulder, telling her what she should and shouldn't do.

She didn't face him.

"No."

There was a disturbing pause, and Tenten felt the air change. For the first time, she knew her sensei was furious at her. She could feel the waves of dissatisfaction rolling over him, and to be honest, it scared her a little. He has never, until this point, been defied or been even slightly upset. The young woman braced herself as she spoke again.

"You have no right to follow me," she stated, lowly, with eyes narrowed to slits. Tenten would make it damn well noticeable that she wasn't a _humble_ subservient. With her back still to him, she held her ground. Who's to say he wouldn't attack her? She honestly didn't know what kind of man he was.

"I don't mind you working on new technique, but I do mind being lied to," he shot back, taking a step forward. At his movement, Tenten whipped around and held out a kunai for safe measure.

"I never lied. I kept it secret. There's a distinct difference," she retorted. Taking a somewhat defensive stance, she prepared for the worst. The old man cocked his head in mild confusion.

"Lies and secrets are both things that I abhor. And may I ask why you look ready to attack me?" The frustration and anger were still in his features, but he was also extremely curious as to why she was behaving so oddly.

"You're one to talk about secrets! I've been here for over a_ year _and I know nothing about you! How do I know you won't attack me the first time I rebel from you? As far as I'm concerned, I am just an object," venom now dripped from her mouth. This was so unlike her, to be so verbally angry with someone. Then again, she had never been this angry for so long…

"An object in which you can use to carry on your success, to bring some sort of importance to your pathetic life! You know how I know I'm your first student? Because you don't care about me. My life and my feelings are never accounted for. Gai-sensei could be a complete moron, but at least he loved me," she shouted, her eyes watery with heartache.

Once she got a good look at Ishi's face, she was shocked. It was no different than it was before her outburst. Her level of frustration didn't bother him one bit. What happened to the compassionate man she had known? Was he finally revealing to her his true self?

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. You are here to train, and I am here to help you do that. Feelings and emotions have no place in such things," he responded coolly.

To be dumbstruck was an understatement. She supposed he was a lot like her in the beginning, having no one to teach you and learning everything for yourself. Was this how she was destined to become? No, she knew in her bones that it wasn't. But what had happened to him? What made him so cold?

With trepidation, Tenten walked up to him slowly. Ishi eyed her warily, unsure about the girl, and questioning her stability. When she was standing clear as day in front of him, she stared him down, hard.

"I don't care how lucky I got. I will _never_ take orders from someone I don't trust."

And with that, she left for the village.

* * *

><p>Tenten didn't drink. She had had liquor before, but that was a one-time deal. She knew the effects it had on other people, and it made her uneasy.<p>

Then why was she currently sitting at a bar with her second cup of sake before her?

Oh, maybe because she let her anger boil over, causing her to screw up the best offer of her life.

Yeah, that had to be it.

The men in the bar shot her interesting looks, some border lined harassment and others were just hateful. She took account that she was the only woman in the bar. She was also the only ninja in the village. And it didn't help that she was wearing only a mesh sports bra on her torso, leaving her midriff completely exposed for all to see.

But she didn't care. After blowing up like that, he would never take her back. Tenten admitted that she wouldn't take herself back. The alcohol buzzed in her head, causing the depression to deepen with more self-loathing thoughts.

How was she supposed to explain this to Tsunade? And where would she get the courage to hike back up that mountain, pack her things and leave, trying to avoid him the best she could? Who's to say he wouldn't kill her for knowing too much! If there was a possibility that he could want to kill her, then drinking really,_ really_, wouldn't solve anything.

Too lost in her own sudden despair, she didn't feel the presence of another person sitting in the seat to her left. When she did feel it, her peripheral vision picked up the nodding of its head to the barman for a drink. What really got her attention, though, was the picture that was pushed under her hand.

Shaking her head to clear it, she inspected the photo. It was of a young girl, about four or five. She was a cute child, having short blonde hair and big brown eyes. In the picture, she was running towards the camera, glee written all over her face. A man in the background appeared to be chasing her, the same emotion displayed on his features as well.

Tenten squinted, believing the alcohol was causing hallucinations. That man looked like a much younger and much more vigorous Shinichiro Ishihara. She looked over at the man to her left.

Her sensei sat there, staring at the picture with vacant eyes. "Her name is Akiko," he said, hollowly. "She would be around your age, maybe a little older. Most likely, she's already started a family. With looks like her mother's, I don't doubt it." He took a harsh downing of the liquid in his cup and motioned for another.

"The last time I saw her was before I was taken. She was sick that night, but I refused to hug her and kiss her goodnight, fearing that I would fall ill during the mission I was about to leave on."

All she could do was listen, she was beyond surprised, and even the alcohol couldn't deter her attention.

"After the ordeal, I found her mother. I had been absent for years, and she heard the rumors." Ishi stared at Tenten now, hoping she would get the full effect of his admission.

"She denied me my own daughter because she didn't know who I was anymore. Because she didn't trust me."

Tenten hung on those last five words. This was it, the moment when she would know the man behind the sensei. Her words had struck a nerve, obviously. Boy, was she ever lucky…

"Have you tried looking for her?" She asked, not sure what else to say. They were treading into unknown waters, and after their conversation earlier, she wasn't sure how to handle things.

"For ten years I searched, but she was good. Changed her name every time, kept away from villages with known shinobi. I never even knew if Akiko wanted to see me, or if her mother had forced her. I don't think I'll ever know…"

Her heart softened considerably at his story, and she at once felt guilty for everything that was said. Hanging her head down in shame, she apologized softly.

"There's no need to be sorry, Tenten. I should've handled things better from the start. For so long, I've kept to myself. I guess… I've… forgotten what it is to be close to someone," he admitted.

Looking into her empty cup, Tenten prayed she wasn't drunk to the point of delusion. Was this conversation actually happening?

Sensing her uneasiness, Ishi decided to awkwardly break the ice by asking her something that didn't pertain her development or well-being.

"So, what's your story?"

A pang hit her chest. Stories have beginnings, and her beginning always brought forth horrible memories. Not only that, but the vulnerability she was about to face him with was palpable. But if he could do it so could she.

"I don't know my real birthday. Some Konoha ninjas found me abandoned in a field and decided it best to take me back to the village. No one had claimed me, no one had reported a missing child. Since I can remember, I've wanted to be a kunoichi. I was simply drawn to weapons. Weapons didn't require bloodline techniques or secret clan knowledge. I could teach myself. One day, I plan to die while protecting my people. I had once resigned to the idea that no one would remember my life, and not even my death. But when I got your letter, everything changed." Tenten knew it was the inebriation that was causing her to be so honest, but she had to admit, it felt good.

"To me, your letter promised me a life and a death that would have been memorable. That people would know that I existed," she breathed out, trying her best not to blur her words. The conversation that quickly calmed her depression, now agitated it.

"Whether we had met or not, you would have lived and died honorably." Her sensei confessed. That had to be the fifth compliment he had dished out in all her time of knowing him. Yes, she had counted.

"And if you don't mind me asking, when is your birthday, if they found you on your own like that?"

Tenten looked up at him to explain. "They guessed I was around two when they found me. And, to be quite honest, my quote – unquote – birthday is actually today. I'm somewhere around twenty three, give or take a few months," she added jokingly.

Ishi erupted with laughter, "Today! What are the odds of that?" He asked her, astounded. "Well I know this may sound strange, but what would you say if I bought you a horse?"

She blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"A horse! One would be excellent for carrying the metal, and learning how to ride one could be useful in some situations!"

Her mouth blurted out a retort before she had time to edit and delete it. "What? Trying to make up for Akiko's birthdays by buying me a pony?" She laughed, but once she realized what she had said, she immediately apologized. Only, he was laughing during her apology.

"Haha! I guess I am, aren't I? I suppose you're the closest thing to a daughter that I'll experience," he said. Tenten blushed. She didn't know what to say to that…

Only hours earlier had she been claiming his life had been pathetic, and that he was using her for an ego boost, and now he was comparing her to his daughter? This alone served to expand her guilt.

After the bar, Ishi took her to the other side of the village to buy a nice horse like he promised. Tenten named him after the stray cat that lived near her apartment, Reizo. He was a beautiful horse, that much was certain. His body was strong and thick, and his coat was a shiny deep brown. The horse's mane was long and flowing, and when she looked into his eyes, she could see her own staring back at her. Reizo neighed softly at her touch, and she knew he was hers.

Noticing she was still a little drunk, Ishi thought it would be a good idea if Tenten ride Reizo once her balancing skills weren't hindered.

* * *

><p>Tenten thought it the stupidest thing to ever happen to her, getting sick with the flu in the middle of August. Sicknesses were different everywhere, but she had never heard of a hot-season flu.<p>

Not only was she sweating because of the August heat, but she was sweating from the fever she had. Ishi had told her that most people die from heat stroke when they get the flu, but that only scared her. Dying of some retarded season-confused flu was not an appropriate thing for a shinobi to do!

By the third day, it had become unbearable, and there were no indications of a probable recovery. Ishi was constantly bringing her cool water from the spring, trying to calm her fever. The aching and the nausea she could deal with. The feeling that her skin was melting off her bones is was what got to her. Tenten could hardly move, the heat her body was experiencing was weighing down on her, causing her to breathe haggard breathes.

"I should call for the doctor, I don't know what else I could do," her teacher admitted.

"Wait," she coughed, hating the idea of doctors, "that medical kit, on the table. I think there's a flu inhibitor in there." Ishi reached for the bag and looked back at her, questioningly. "My friend Sakura is training under the legendary Tsunade. She made it for me as a parting gift. With gathered research," she took a deep breath, "she was able to create a medical kit specific to the region I'd be staying in. Last time I checked, there was something in there for the flu…"

Ishi rifled through the kit, reading all the labels and uses. "Here!" He exclaimed, raising the needle to the vial of serum, "It says preventative, but we can try. It's worth a shot," he said, oblivious to his own pun.

By the next day, her fever was gone. She was sure to thank Sakura for nearly saving her life.

* * *

><p>It had been a little over three years since she had left on her mission, and Tenten was far from through with her training. Not that it bothered her anymore, the waiting. Her time would come.<p>

Over the three years Tenten had learned more than just physical skill, as she had also learned to be more patient and relaxed. She liked to think of her training like a vacation at the spa, to return to her village a more rejuvenated and worldly Tenten.

Until that afternoon, Tenten hadn't heard from Tsunade-sama for months. It was always the same: answering all the questions but never getting any answers herself. When a falcon appeared before her in a tree later that day, she knew who it was from.

Well, she didn't really, because it had been from Naruto. The bastard finally made Hokage, and she couldn't be happier for him. Sure he could be an idiot, but he deserved it. In the letter, he admitted he was shocked to find out that her so called mission was really a classified training assignment. Naruto said he had read her file and all of her letters, adding that everyone was doing great and would every once in a while bring her up during conversation. Her hands shook with elation finally knowing everyone was ok and alive. Lady Tsunade had reached a point where her body just couldn't handle all the prolonged abuse, and it was beginning to shut down. He said Sakura was doing her best to keep her comfortable as possible through the process.

Oh, and he married Hinata! This was done before his ascension, so as not to look like a political move to the village. She sighed. Nothing she would be able to do, but she was happy for them nonetheless. Tenten rushed back to her room to reply to the letter, completely forgetting her katana practice.

* * *

><p>As her training progressed, Tenten only worried about one thing. She had not been in any significant combat for quite some time. That is, she hadn't faced a real enemy for years.<p>

On the plus side, it meant no one was aware of what was going on, and that they and the villagers were in no danger. However, it also meant that Tenten couldn't truly comprehend her growth because there was a serious lack of competition.

What if she found herself a little rusty, and got into some serious trouble? There were no real shinobi in the nearest village, and often times she resorted to training with a clone. Tenten even dreamt for a thief to come within their midst, so that she could prove to herself once and for all that she was better than ever.

Not only had her original techniques improved, as well as her aim, but there was so much more to her arsenal now. There was also her ability to lay out traps, estimate and track an enemy's tactics, and turn a disadvantage into an advantage.

And she couldn't forget her sword! Her katana was her deadliest weapon yet, and the fact that she forged it herself made her love it all the more. The damage she could inflict with it under the right circumstances terrified her at first. But as soon as she learned how to use it, it became a second nature to her. She'd pretty much reinvented the landscape of half the mountain with that one sword. All her career she had been a long distant fighter, and she had always wanted the right weapon that would allow her to fight in close combat. Now she had it.

True, her sword could be considered overkill in some situations, which is why her clever mind came up with the idea of having two swords. In any one else's eyes, they were identical swords. Only Tenten could distinguish them apart, which one was the decoy and which was to be used when it was needed. Her decoy katana was practically the same, but with only a fraction of her chakra embedded in it.

Ishi thought it was brilliant, and it was one of the few things he outwardly praised her for.

* * *

><p>One of her favorite things to do in her down time was ride Reizo. He was the type of horse built for the mountains, and she loved to go exploring with him. Sometimes, when they found a pasture and he ran at full speed and the wind was beating against her skin, she found herself having flashbacks of riding Akamaru. And she couldn't forget Kiba – that particular glint in his eyes, the way the wind pressed his clothes against his body, how his fangs seemed to have a smile all their own.<p>

If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she entertained the idea of having a fling with him. Nothing personal, but something purely physical. Now, Tenten was nearing on twenty five, and she had yet to even experience her first kiss. Her hormones were practically begging for an attractive male to touch her. Being the determined kunoichi she was, the likelihood of having or starting a family was practically none. It wasn't uncommon for ninja to have casual, strictly physical relationships.

But the fact that Kiba came from a clan with a pack mentality, and the idea of mating for life, she doubted he would be okay with being with her in such a way. And if he wasn't an option, then who did that leave?

Shino, she didn't even know that well. Had she ever even seen his face?

Chouji… now that was just weird to think about…

Shikamaru? He had a certain sex appeal, but she was sure Temari had her hands all over that.

She tried to think. Kotetsu and Izumo were attractive, definitely, and she had known them from past missions, but not well enough…

Now, if she wanted to be super honest with herself, she would know that there was only one man she wanted inside of her, above her, below her, what have you…

Stop. Rewind. Delete. Rewrite.

No, she didn't need a man to satisfy her. Who said it was a bad thing to die a virgin? She could almost feel Ino slap her for thinking that. Maybe sex just wasn't in it for her. Or maybe, there was someone out there, perfect for her, and she didn't even know.

It was possible, but she wouldn't waste time thinking about it. If it happened, it happened.

* * *

><p>There was something to be said about listening to the earth.<p>

As expected, Ishi taught her everything he knew. She was rather skeptical at first, but once he explained it to her, she needed to try for herself.

"As you should already know, nature has its own chakra. The wind, the trees, the birds – everything. This includes the earth. Now, having earth-affinity is not necessary, but it is what makes this technique so useful." He placed his ear and outstretched palm on the ground, and closed his eyes.

"Right now, I am sending short bursts of my chakra into the ground, which will act as a sort of sonar, what bats use. By hearing it, I can see the formation of the land, and quite literally, get a better picture of what I'm working with."

Tenten nodded slowly. "So… by listening to the earth, it would give me the advantage of knowing my terrain… and thus able to perform my jutsus with more accuracy?" She asked rhetorically, asking more to herself.

Her sensei rose and nodded happily, "Exactly."

"It would be excellent at night, or in a foreign territory. The enemy would assume that since I am on their turf, that they would have the upper hand. But, in actuality, I would have the upper hand, because they would be underestimating me!" Tenten exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Yes! Precisely! Now you try. Just… yes… Send your chakra out, and listen to what it says. Hear and see the hills, holes and stone. Most of the earth is something our naked eyes can never see. What a pity, eh?"

* * *

><p>Ishi-sensei had opened up, true, but that by no accounts made him a chatterbox. Tenten would get little snippets of his life and have to string them together in her mind.<p>

She knew about his daughter, Akiko, and how after he had been released from the criminals he was being used by, his wife ran away with her, and he never saw them again.

His details about his imprisonment were confined to the statement, "There are some things a man never wants to talk about. His weaknesses and his lowest possible point in life are two of them." He had once mentioned there were seven things a man never wants to talk about, but she couldn't remember them.

Shinichiro Ishihara had grown up in a small village to civilian parents, and had a fascination for all things shiny and deadly. His father allowed him to move to the nearest shinobi village to attend an academy, but his mother hated the idea and never visited him.

He would interview his teachers and the jounin for tips and advice, and occasionally hang out with kids his own age. Everything changed, however, with the Third Shinobi World War. Ishi stated that he was on the brink of death when he vowed to get stronger, more useful. And he did, through will and determination alone. If she read between the lines, she would know that ultimately his strength came at the price of his family, but he would never verbally acknowledge it.

By all accounts, he led an average shinobi life. But, there was nothing average about this man, whose past was still so mysterious to her. It wasn't something she could quite put her finger on. Was it the way he could seem so meek at one moment and chop down a tree in another? Or maybe, it was how his eyes told one story, when his face said something else entirely?

Or it could just be that she was destined to meet this man. Neji might've gone a bit crazy in his genin days about fate, and was proven wrong by Naruto, but that didn't mean that things like fate and destiny didn't exist. Tenten knew, with every cell in her body, that she was destined to meet this man. His knowledge of weaponry, his exquisite swordsmanship, sharing an affinity to earth, both having to draw their own paths… that couldn't all be luck, could it?

There was something larger at work here and she knew it. That's why he was no average ninja to her.

* * *

><p>Tenten had been under Ishi's training for nearly five years now, and she was quite pleased with the results. Not only was she able to blacksmith (with chakra, mind you) and incorporate earth into her arsenal, she was able to combine the two to create lethal attacks. Attacks that left her teacher beaming and proud, and a tad scared. Even her ability to read peoples attacks, devise traps, and create strategies was on a whole other level. She was finally the kunoichi she wanted to be.<p>

It was late afternoon, and the sun was setting just behind the village as she left it, arms full of groceries. Ishi had sent her to get supplies for dinner, and he was going to teach her how to barbeque, blacksmith style. She loved his barbeque.

Over the years, since her outburst, they had become quite close. She found in him friend she never thought could be there, and she was quite pleased. Tenten had even considered asking him to move to Konoha with her when she returned. She had a feeling that he would like it.

The wind blew gently as she treaded up the last hill on her trail. At this time, Ishi would be about, riding Reizo out and about in the field. She spotted Reizo, but no Ishi. She called out his name, curious. When she spotted a strange pile of… something… a few feet from the house, she dropped the food.

This pile consisted of clothes and dust, which could only mean one thing.

Tenten fell to her knees and bowed her head as silent tears fell from her face. She remembered him mentioning this jutsu once, for informational purposes only. A jutsu that allowed him to give his body back to the earth, in a more graceful manner. That is, if you considered graceful to be turned into dust at the unsuspecting moment of death.

The wind blew harder as the sun fell farther into the horizon. Ishi's dust was disturbed, and his clothes threatened to fly off. When they did, something caught Tenten's eye in the wind. Throwing a shuriken at the item in question and pinning it to the house, she saw upon further inspection that it was the picture of Akiko and him she had been shown once before.

She gazed at the man in the photo with reverence before turning her attention to the girl. Tenten would find her and tell her everything she could about her father. It was something she swore to herself, in that moment. This woman, whoever she was, would know of the father her mother deprived her of.

By dinner time, she wasn't hungry. The pen and paper before her offered her little comfort as she made a list. Lists gave her a sense of organization in a time of disorder. Tenten knew all of the things she had to do, and she couldn't conjure up the will to do them. At least with a list she could have a tangible representation of her responsibilities.

1. Letter to Naruto  
>2. Put everything into scrolls – weapons, tools, other scrolls<br>3. Prepare Reizo for journey home  
>4. Start packing<p>

It might have been a short list, but it ate at her, just looking at it. She would start with number one.

The letter was more like a mission debriefing than anything. In as little detail as she could get away with, she explained his death and the situation she currently found herself in. Tenten stated that she felt ready to return and be of use to her country once again.

In the past, Tenten had always received the letters first, by the birds. Luckily, Ishi had taught her a jutsu that was suitable for espionage and secret communications. The Mole Messenger Jutsu was a little complicated at first, but she got the hang of it. A little mole made from the earth would pop up, take your message, and transport it to another location. There was the slight possibility that Naruto might freak out at first, and that only made her smile.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Tenten was in full swing. She was stuck in the momentum of her musings, grabbing tools and weapons and trying to organize them the best way she could. Her largest scroll carried her personal arsenal, and she didn't dare tamper with that so soon before she headed out to travel.<p>

All of her sensei's tools and instructional scrolls were piled into other scrolls, and into a large bag. Tenten's clothes and personal effects were gathered into the same bag she came with, and she could feel the nostalgia in the fabric as she opened it. Not too far from now, she would be returning home.

But the thought occurred to her, what would she be returning to? Of course the village had changed, things tend to do that over five years, but to what extent would that change be? She tried not to think about it too much, her nerves were already jittery.

An even stranger question, was, "How will they see me?" What changes would they pick up on? Was she even the same Tenten? Though it was true that Tenten had lost much of her cheerfulness, in lieu of solemnness, would her friends find her unnoticeable? She knew she had matured, but she didn't want it to be at the expense at what made her… her…

Tenten stood in front of her mirror, tried to envision herself as she was five years prior, and was a little shocked. She had grown a couple of centimeters, and her body was much leaner and more developed. Her body had grown lithe, yet durable, suitable for acrobatics and stealth. Every ounce of baby fat had left her, leaving her face to reveal her actual age, as being a young woman. Though she would love to have curves like Hinata's, she came to accept the relatively average size of her breasts and stopped binding them. She did have hips though, and for that she was grateful.

Her hair was taken out of her trademark buns and into a simple ponytail, leaving her chestnut, straight hair to dangle at her shoulder blades. The bangs which had once tickled her eyebrows now fell a little below her collar bone.

The ensemble of choice had changed as well. Last year for her birthday, Ishi had a jacket made for her. It was a fitted Chinese style brocade jacket made with beautiful red and black silk. It had a high collar and she rolled the cuffs of the sleeves up to her elbows. The special part about this present, though, was the kanji for Shinichiro embroidered on her back. However, it would be hard to see once her largest scroll hung from her back like a backpack. Her sandals had long since been destroyed, and she now opted for the long kunoichi boots Sakura used to wear. On her hands, she wore what had to be the hundredth pair of gloves she had owned, and a modified version of her old scroll holster sat on her hips, with a strap around each leg for added stability. For her bottoms, she chose to forgo her old baggy capris and swap them for plain black short shorts.

Overall, she looked almost nothing like she had when she was seventeen. She guessed she was good looking enough. Tenten portrayed an image of professionalism and integrity. Tenten looked like a legitimate Konoha kunoichi. Sure, she wasn't the same, but that meant she was better. She was able. She was quick and cunning, flexible and agile, dangerous and powerful. It was everything that she had wanted. Tenten didn't think she had lost herself. On the contrary, she felt that she had found herself.

For the hell of it, she cut her bangs short like they used to be, so at least something could remain the same.

By midday, she had gathered everything she needed. The only thing left to do was to go into her sensei's room and see if there was anything of value. Not for her personal gain, but to ensure it didn't get into the wrong hands, as it once had before.

The door opened with a tiny squeak, revealing a simple room. Tenten noticed that he made his bed, and had a tendency to sleep on the right side. She caught eye of some scrolls in a nearby corner and gathered them into her arms, intent on taking them with her. Everything was clean and orderly, just as she expected it to be.

But her trained mind lingered on the closet. One of the doors was opened by a fraction of an inch, and it tugged at her curiosity. With caution, she approached the door and swung it open. Inside were a few of his clothes, along with some personal effects strewn across the floor. Two swords, a box, and his favorite kunai.

Ishi had told her about this once. The first weapon he had ever forged, complete with a thrown-together holster. Tenten ran her fingers along the artifact, noting the scratches and weathering it had been through. This wasn't just his weapon; this was a part of him.

With tears in her eyes again, threatening to spill, she took the aged holster and fitted it to her leg.

A perfect fit.

An hour later, Tenten saw her mole pop up from the ground and hand her a letter. She read it with hands slightly shaking.

Brief was an understatement, as it was no more than a paragraph. The new Hokage was sorry for her loss, and said he knew what it was like to lose a beloved teacher. He also wanted her to return to Konoha and see him as soon as possible, and wished her a safe voyage.

Tenten was more than a little curious. His other letters were much more detailed, but this one was simply to the point. Nothing about her little mole technique or having to write a mission summary based on her stay these five years. She knew how curious Naruto was, and how he paid attention to the small things, so why wasn't he more explanatory? Was there something more important weighing down on his mind when he was writing his response? Well, if it was Konoha business, she was sure to find out soon enough.

It was now about one in the afternoon, and she couldn't wait. She tightened the load on Reizo's back, mounted him, and made her way towards the nearby village. She did not look back at the abandoned home, or the scattered clothes in the field that she had decided to leave untouched. Ishi would be with her in combat, and that was all the comfort she needed. Now she was headed back to her village, her home, her reason for being.

This moment, was the dawn of a new Tenten.

* * *

><p><strong>If you must know, Reizo is a Peruvian Paso. They are used in mountainous regions because their gait allows for smooth walking. And they look stunning. To me, a least ;P And I've always imagined Tenten with a very lithe and slightly athletic body. I think if she had a very curvy body, that it wouldn't allow her to be as agile or fluid in her movements. And I like the thought of her with long, straight hair, not wavy hair. Am I alone in this? Is it silly to think of a female ninja without sexually exaggerated features? And despite what I just said, I like to think she moves like a gymnast – very graceful, gentle but powerful. I kind of imagine her looking somewhat like Zhao Wei. And Neji would resemble the oh-so-smexy Takeshi Kaneshiro. But that's just me.<strong>

**In the next chapter, Tenten will be returning home to Konoha. What has changed? Better yet, what hasn't changed? With Naruto as Hokage, Sakura left to pick up the pieces of Tsunade's legacy, Kiba with family on his mind, and Neji with his own genin team and – what? A fiancé? – how will Tenten be able to find her place among everything?**


End file.
